Helios Rising
by AhmoseInarus
Summary: He's kept his two lives separate for years-His life as SSA Dr. Spencer Reid of the FBI, and his life as a mutant and lover to two other men. He never wanted these lives to cross over. But sometimes it's unavoidable. When one of his mutant lovers becomes the next victim of a killer pack that the team is hunting, he must figure out how to combine his lives or he'll lose them both.
1. Chapter 1

Helios Rising

Spencer x Remy x Logan

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

When Spencer Reid got out of bed that morning, he had no idea that today, a ball would start rolling and completely change his life. After all, the day was starting out like any other. The alarm clock went off, Reid grumbled and fussed a bit but turned it off, staggering out of bed and into the bathroom. In the kitchen, the coffee maker turned on. By the time Reid was shaved, dressed, teeth brushed and hair… sort of done, in Reid's own half-assed way, the coffee was ready. Reid headed into the kitchen and added his sugar and cream, popped the lid onto it and then grabbed his gun, credentials, keys, wallet, phone and messenger bag and headed out.

He had finished his coffee by the time he got to the metro station. There was a little coffee shop right there, and he stepped in. There was a line, but a woman behind the counter grinned and waved him up. Reid had already popped the lid off of his cup and the woman darted around the counter with a pot and refilled it, dumping in the already-prepared cream and sugar, and gave it a quick stir for him, saying "You still have a credit of twenty seven fifty two, Dr. Reid. Have a good day!"

"You too, Marla. Thank you." Reid said, and left.

The train ride in to Quantico was the usual. Reid drank his coffee and read his latest book, and upon disembarking, he headed to yet another coffee shop for his next refill.

"Hey, kid!" He looked up, startled, then smiled.

"Morning, Morgan."

"Hey, Tanya, let me pay for his too."

"Wait, what?!"

"You'll just owe me, Pretty Boy." Morgan laughed, snatching Reid's empty cup so that the barista could fill it. The people in line behind Morgan looked amused as Reid spluttered and blushed. "New case. We're meeting ASAP." Morgan explained as he shoved Reid's fresh coffee into his hands and guided him out of the coffee shop.

"I didn't get a text!" Reid complained, fumbling for his phone. And there it was.

_New case. Get in ASAP,_ from Hotch.

"Oh…" He mumbled.

"It came in like, two seconds before you walked into the coffee shop." Morgan grinned.

Reid frowned and checked his watch, then said "thirteen point two seconds, actually."

"Do NOT make me smack you in front of Chief Strauss." Morgan warned, rolling his eyes before smiling and opening the door with a pleasant "Chief Strauss. Good morning."

"Good morning Agent Morgan." Strauss nodded back, walking through the door he was holding open for her. "Dr. Reid…" The three got into the elevator, and Strauss frowned at them, then said "And please, Agent Morgan… retrain from smacking your co-workers. Violence in the workplace will not be tolerated."

Morgan's eyes widened. "Oh. Uh… Yes ma'am."

"Yeah, Morgan…" Reid snorted, grinning. "No violence in the workplace." Strauss faced the front of the elevator, hiding her amused smile as Morgan hissed "Boy! I will beat your skinny white ass!" and Reid squealed and fended him off with his messenger bag when Morgan went to pinch him.

"They're all yours, Agent Hotchner." She called when the doors opened. The Unit Chief looked up from the file he had been absorbed in as he walked through the hall, and watched as a smirking Strauss headed for her office, leaving Agents Morgan and Reid bickering like ten year olds in the elevator.

"… Really?" Hotch deadpanned. "In front of Strauss?"

"Sorry Hotch." The pair chanted in unison, and obediently followed when he beckoned them to the Round Table Room, silently jostling each other with their shoulders, until Reid yelped and toppled over.

"Morgan!"

"He took a dive!" Morgan blurted out, putting his hands in the air. Hotch gave him a look, and went into the meeting room. "… You totally took a dive." Morgan grumbled, and Reid grinned.

"Yeah. But Hotch would never buy it."

"You're a little jerk!" Morgan cried as Reid got to his feet.

"Good morning my lovelies!" Garcia sang, hurrying into the bullpen and herding the two men into the round table room.

"Alright, let's take our seats." Hotch called as Rossi ambled in the other door and closed it behind him.

"Greetings my intrepid BAU adventurers." Garcia chirped, bouncing to her place by the screen. "You have been charged with a quest to uncover a most brutal killer in the kingdom of Boston." And she clicked her remote and images popped up. "We have eleven dead."

"Eleven?" Emily echoed, grimacing. "And they're only just now calling us in?"

"Yyyyeah. Apparently, there's some detectives who didn't want us called in, but their chief overruled them." Garcia sighed. "Anyway. Sad fact… not all of the victims have been identified yet."

"This UnSub doesn't seem to have a type." Reid said slowly, frowning. "It's a variety of age, ethnicity, physical appearance, gender…"

"And social class." Garcia said. "Out of the six that have been identified—"

"Only six out of ELEVEN?" Morgan blurted.

"- One was prostitute, one was a Senior Financial Advisor, who was married with a kid on the way, one was a college student, another was a mechanic at a place that specializes in imports and the other two were homeless." Garcia informed them. "And—" She stopped at a beep and leaned over her tablet. Then she sighed and picked it up. "Victim number seven was just identified." She brought up a picture of the man on the screen. "Seventeen year old Alec Stovall… he was… living on the streets. Ran away from home when he was fifteen..."

"Are there any discernable patterns, Garcia?" Rossi asked.

"The timing." Garcia nodded. "The victims are all killed and dumped on Saturdays. And the next one goes missing on Sunday."

"So they keep them for a week…" Rossi said slowly. "Torturing them—"

"Probably in set stages." Morgan interrupted,

"—And then kill them and dump the body. And then take someone else straight away."

"Are they victims of opportunity, or were they targeted specifically?" JJ wondered aloud.

"Either way, we're going to have another body and another abduction tomorrow night. Garcia, I want you with us on this one." Hotch said, picking up his tablet and tucking it under his arm. "Wheels up in thirty."

* * *

The flight to Boston was short and sweet. The team spent it going over the evidence and tossing around theories. When they touched down, two Bureau SUV's were waiting. With Hotch and Morgan driving, the team soon arrived at the station. Upon entering, it was obvious that their presence was drawing a mixture of reactions. Some of the cop looked curious, some relieved, and a couple looked far from pleased. Two detectives were openly hostile. And just their luck these were the men they had to work with.

Hotch sighed inwardly and offered his hand, which was reluctantly accepted. "Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner." He said. "This is my team, Supervisory Special Agents Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Emily Prentiss, David Rossi and Doctor Spencer Reid. This is our Tech Analyst, Penelope Garcia."

"… Sanders and McKennon." Said the shorter and rounder of the pair, scowling. "I don't care if the chief called you in. This is OUR case."

"Of course." Hotch nodded. "Your case, your jurisdiction, your collar. We're just here to help."

Sanders frowned and eyed the man up and down, then snorted and turned away. "Right. Whatever you say. This way." And the team followed the surly man deeper into the station. "Got a room for you here." And he pushed open the door. Hotch was hard pressed to keep his expression neutral. It was the Break Room. There was a small kitchenette, an old battered sofa and a cheap collapsible table with metal folding chairs set up around it, and two vending machines in the corner.

"… It'll do." He said tersely, and the team walked in and started to get set up. "Reid. Prentiss. I want you to go talk to the ME, take a look at the bodies. Garcia, start digging into our victim's lives and find out who the unidentified victims are. JJ, Rossi, start calling in people who knew our IDed vics. Morgan, we're going to take a look at the dump sites. Detectives. Would you join us?"

The two detectives didn't look happy, but they agreed, and the team split up.

* * *

The ME, Carlie, was cheerful enough when Reid and Prentiss arrived, and answered all of their questions before taking them to the bodies. "Mr. Richmond's wife is pretty anxious for me to release the body." The ME said, shaking her head and running her hand through her blonde hair. "But since this investigation is active, I've been stalling her."

"We appreciate that." Emily nodded, watching Reid pull on some gloves and leaning over Mr. David Richmond's body.

"Agent… There's something off with his eyes." She called. "I just noticed it last night. Hadn't talked to the detectives yet."

"Why?" Reid asked, moving up.

"Well… It kind of… well… just look." She said. Reid looked at her with a frown, then turned back to the body and stared at the closed eyes. After a moment, he peeled up the lids.

"… I don't see anything."

"Here." She said, walking over and reaching around Reid. She peeled the lids back and out to the side a bit, allowing Reid to see under them. Reid peered closely, frowning, and then his eyes widened.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Carlie said in a low tone, and Emily leaned around Reid to see. Reid reached out tucked the tip of his finger under the man's eyelid and… peeled another eyelid out and across his eye.

"… He has another set of eyelids." Reid breathed, and then looked up at the ME. "This man is mutant." Carlie nodded, grimly.

"That's why I didn't say anything." She said. "The moment those assholes find out, is the moment they stop actively working this case." Reid frowned, knowing that she was right.

"Are the other victims…?"

"Not sure. I was going to start looking into it."

"I'll help you." Reid said, firmly.

"I'll tell Hotch." Emily said, pulling out her phone.

"No." Reid said. "Wait until we know about the others." Emily eyed him, noting that Reid was suddenly very tense.

"… Okay." She nodded.

* * *

It was nearly five pm when they got back to the station. They were the last ones back. Hotch frowned.

"You two took a long time." He said as Reid and Emily stepped into the room. Emily closed the door behind her and locked it.

"We found out what connects the victims." Reid said. "They're not victims of opportunity. They're being targeted."

"How?" Hotch asked.

"They're mutants." Emily sighed. The team all straightened up and stared.

"… Damn." Morgan breathed. "And solving this case just got a lot harder."

"David Richmond had a second pair of eyelids that slid in from the side." Reid said. "And one of our Jane Does had… antennae hidden in her hair. The ME checked their blood and sure enough… all the victims had the Mutant Gene."

"These are Hate Crimes." Emily concluded.

"Hate Crimes that the cops won't care about solving and that the community might actually applaud…" Rossi drawled, leaning back.

"Hotch… What if they… rescind their request for Bureau involvement?" JJ asked.

"Let me deal with that." Hotch sighed. "This changes everything."

"Now what?" Garcia asked softly.

"We need to get some rest. Let's go to the hotel and get checked in. Tomorrow morning we start fresh with a new lead."

And so they did. If anyone noticed Reid being exceptionally quiet and distant, no one said anything. And that night, when he got to his hotel room, he moved to sit on the edge of the bed and dug out his phone. He stared at the contact for a long time before he finally hit 'Call'.

It rang four times and Reid was ready for it to go to voicemail when it was answered at the last minute.

"Bonsoir_, _mes amour…_"_ Came the sultry purr. Reid allowed a small smile to touch his lips.

"Hey." He said, and sighed, running his finger through his hair. "You alone?"

"Mes oui… _Why? You got somet'in' special in mind fo' me?"_ Reid rolled his eyes.

"Okay, that came out wrong."

"_Not from where I'm sittin', _cher_. T'ink it came out jus' right, me._"

"I mean, where are you? You're not busy? Is Logan there?"

"… non. _What's wrong? Y' sound upset…"_ The voice quickly switched to a serious tone. "_Y' on a case, _petit_?"_

"Yeah."

"_Where?"_

"Boston." Reid sighed.

"_Ah. I heard 'bout dat. Serial killer, _oui?"

"Yeah."

"_Well, if anyone can find de _connard,_ 's you."_

"… It's mutants, Remy." Reid finally got out. "The victims… they're all mutants."

"… _I see. 'Dat ain't made it t' de news yet."_

"No. We just found out this afternoon. We haven't told the locals yet. We'll have to tomorrow though. But this case just got a lot harder to solve. The cops won't be nearly as interested in closing it, and the local mutants will be our best source of information, but, well…"

"_Dey ain't gonna be talkin' t' de Feds an'time soon…"_

"Right…" Reid sighed.

"… _Might b'able t' help, me."_

"Huh?"

"_Boston ain't far, _cher._ I can be dere in t' morning. Let ol' Gambit do his t'ing. I can find d' local muties, dey'll talk t' Gambit. And Gambit'll talk t' y'. Anonynous tip. Where y' stayin'?_"

"… That might help." Reid admitted with a small smile. "The team is staying at the Indigo."

"_It's settled, den. I see y' tomorrow, _mes amour_."_ And the call ended.

* * *

In the morning, the team dove in. They had a lot more to work with now. Reid worked on the geographical profile. At 10am, Reid received a text message. Remy had arrived in Boston and reserved a room in the Indigo on the third floor, two floors below Reid and the team. He was hitting the streets right away. Based on the geographic profile, Reid told him where to start.

The call came in the afternoon, around three. A press conference had been given at noon, providing a number for a tip line. That's where the call came from. An officer poked his head into the team's little room.

"Someone is on the tip line asking for uh… Dr. Reid?" He said. "Only wants to talk to the FBI, no cops."

The detectives looked pissed at that, but Hotch nodded and shut them all out of the room. Then he nodded to Garcia, who tapped the line. Then Reid leaned over and hit the speaker button.

"This is Dr. Reid." He called.

"_Hey 'dere."_ Immediately, Reid relaxed and sat down, smiling.

"You're on speaker. You've got something for me?" He asked, ignoring the confused looks of his team.

"_No cops?"_

"Just my team. Do you have something?"

"_Well 'den. I ever let y' down, _cher_?"_

"What have you got?" Reid asked.

"_Pfft. Fine, 'den. Straight t' business…"_

"What's your name, sir?" Hotch called.

"_I don' t'ink so, monsiuer."_ Came the answer, the carefree voice suddenly stern. _"No names. An' y' ain't trackin'me neither. Pay phone. Save y' time. Owe Dr. Reid a favor, me. He calls it in, I make good on it. I give y' what I got, but I stay anonymous. 'Dat ain't negotiable, _d'accord?"

The team was now staring at Reid. But Hotch sighed and nodded, saying "Alright."

"Bon._ So… Firs' t'ing's firs'… Ain't one guy."_

"We were suspecting that." Hotch confirmed. "It has to be a pack."

"Oui._ At leas' five. Prob'ly more. But I t'ink I got some names f' y'._"

"Victims?" Reid asked

"Oui._ Becky Wilson. Lived on d' streets. Liked 'd parks. Made d' flowers bloom. Even outta season. She d' _femme_ wit' d'green eyes and strawberry blonde hair."_ Garcia began typing away feverishly. _"D' young _petit_… He was fi'teen. Runaway, o' t'rown out, take y' pick. He been livin' wit' a group of mutants. Hidin'. Name's Brady Noble. His skin turn color wit' his emotions. He was learnin' t' control it, found he could influence d' emotions of others b' touchin, 'dem. D' older _homme_ was also on d' streets. Went by d' name Arnold Fehrman. From what I gather, he been on dese streets f' over a decade. Not many knew he was a mutant. Reptilian. D' _homme_ only had t' eat every month, but couldn't regulate 'is own body temperature. Cold blooded. Had t' sun himself or stay near a fire, heating duct, stuff like 'dat. Last one called Natalie Ochenski. Twenties. She a runaway. Called Temptress. She move 'er body right, she can hypnotize anyone watchin'._"

"How did you find out all of this?" Hotch demanded to know.

"_All 'bout talkin t' de righ' people. Or in dis case, mutants. Mutants who ain't gon' talk t' no Feds. But dey talk t' me."_

"What else do you have?" Reid called.

"_Where dey was last seen."_ Came the answer, and he rattled off several cross streets, and the times of the last sighting. "_Still not pinned down a las' sightin' f' Natalie. I got a possible source, but dey ain't trustin' anyone. 'cludin' me. Keep workin' on 'dem, me. Let y' know if I get anyt'ing."_

"Be safe." Reid said.

"_C'mon now, _cher_! Y' know me!"_

"Exactly."

"_HAH! _Tout a l'heure!" And the caller hung up. Reid sat back with a smile. Remy sure had come through for him.

"Reid?"

"Huh?"

"Who was that?" Hotch asked.

"… A confidential informant." Reid said. "And you're not getting anything else out of me."

"We can discuss it later." Rossi said, seeing Hotch ready to argue with Reid. "We need to deliver the profile. And the cops won't like it."


	2. Chapter 2

Helios Rising

Spencer x Remy x Logan

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

"This is not a single UnSub." Hotch announced, looking around at all the officers gathered. Detectives Sanders and McKennon were leaning indolently against a desk, arrogant smirks on their faces. "We are dealing with a pack, a group of three or more people who are working together. An anonymous tip has led us to believe that there are more than five in this group, which makes it one of the larger killing packs we've seen. They operate on a strict time table, abducting a new victim within hours of dumping the previous victim's body."

"The level of torture inflicted on these victims is extensive." Rossi called out. "The variety was one of the things that led us to believe that this was pack before the tip came in. Odds are, they start small and escalate over the week that they have their victim, building the pain to higher and higher levels each day, finally ending by cutting the victim's throat, which is done within a couple of hours of dumping the body."

"They clean the body." Emily chimed in. "Not out of respect for the victim, but both as a forensic countermeasure, and so that the full extent of the injuries can be seen."

"Wouldn't there be more shock value if they didn't?" One officer called.

"A bloody body is shocking." Emily nodded. "But the blood would hide the bruises. The burns. How many cuts are on the body. If the victim is bloody, we know they suffered. Without the blood, we can see how much they suffered. Especially with the bruising in different stages of healing. You can see that the pain was over a long period of time."

"They didn't pose the bodies." JJ announced. "Because that would show care for the victim. They threw them out like trash, because that's what these UnSubs see them as. Vile. Worthless. Trash."

"What makes them think that?" Asked another officer.

"… This is not to leave this room. It is not to get out to media." Hotch growled. "It would only cause chaos, and people will get hurt." The officers now looked very interested. "I'm also making it clear right now, that this in no way changes how we work this case. It's worked like any case with killings like this." And then he turned.

Reid took a deep breath, and raised his head. "These are Hate Crimes." He said. His voice was quiet, but it carried. "The victims all had one thing in common. They're all mutants."

The room immediately exploded into chaos. The exact kind of chaos that would be expected across the nation if the news got out. The officers were all shouting and debating.

"—job to protect and serve EVERYONE, Rob, we—"

"—ain't bustin' my ass for a bunch of FREAKS—"

"—fuckin' Public Service Killings—"

"—still humans, they got the right to live just like—"

"—as I'm concerned, the less there are the safer we—"

"—hell, give these guys a medal! They're doin' what the government—"

"—hypocrites if we don't help! We swore an oath—"

"—don't like it any more than you, man, but God, one of them was FIFTEEN, it ain't—"

"ENOUGH!" The noise slowly faded, and everyone turned as the Chief glared at all of them from where he was now standing by Hotch. He glared around. "I don't like mutants." He growled. "You all know that. But what's happening isn't right. People are being tortured and murdered. In OUR city. You think these killers will stop at mutants?! They're a danger to everyone! And if it gets out that we don't do all we can to stop them, can you imagine the shit pile that will bury us?! Legally, this IS a Hate Crime! And if we don't work it right…"

Hotch chanced a glance at Reid while the Chief went off on his men and women. Reid had his arms wrapped around his middle and his head was bowed. He looked sick to his stomach. Scared. Hotch frowned slightly, concerned, but turned his attention back to the room.

The officers stood there. Some looked satisfied with the chief's words, some reluctantly agreeing and looked some like they were fighting not to explode and rebel… Sanders and McKennon were both in the latter category, and the chief wasn't blind to it. "If you two can't man up and do your job to protect and serve EVERYONE, I'm taking you off this case and giving it to someone who will take their oath seriously."

The two mutinous detectives looked livid, but they nodded stiffly.

"Good." The chief snorted, and turned. "All yours, Agent Hotchner."

"Thank you." Hotch said, true sincerity in his tone that had the chief nodding to him. He turned back to the room. "We need to increase patrols in the the UnSubs' hunting grounds over the next twenty four hours. We want plainclothes officers all over those streets. We aren't going to find the current victim in time…" He said, his tone low and fully of agonizing regret. "But we can stop them when they come in to dump the body and take a new victim."

"We also have to consider…" Reid suddenly spoke up. "These men are skilled and well equipped. Mutants are very high risk targets. A lot of them can really fight back. These guys are able to catch, hold and kill them. I'd wager that they have some way to… suppress their powers. And if they have that, they probably have a lot of other kinds of weapons and equipment."

"No one is to confront these men if spotted." Morgan summed up. "If you see them, call it in."

"Let's get started." Hotch nodded.

* * *

Reid stood by the large van where a SWAT team sat waiting. His team was facing the nearly two dozen plain clothed officers, who had just been given their assignments. And on the Chief's order, they dispersed. As they did, Reid Emily headed off together. JJ and Morgan went in another direction and Hotch and Rossi in another.

"BAU, report in." Garcia called from her command center, and Reid reached up and tapped his earpiece.

"Reid here."

"Prentiss." Emily said, following his lead.

"Reading everyone loud and clear, Kitten." Rossi was heard saying.

"Right here, Mama." Morgan called.

"All good, PG." JJ said.

"Everyone sounds good." Hotch finally chimed in. "Let's be careful."

And they spent the next couple of hours walking the streets of the UnSub's hunting grounds.

Nothing interesting happened until Emily ducked into a liquor store to use the restroom and Reid was left standing alone in the parking lot. He tensed when he heard heavy footsteps approaching. Slowly he turned, hand on his gun. A tall figure in a long coat was striding up the alley towards him. There was a small orange glow from the end of a cigarette. Just shy of the light, the figure removed the cigarette from his lips and flicked it away. Reid's eyes followed it, and the strange, pink glow that seemed to be coming from it, and then POP!

Reid jumped when the cigarette butt exploded like a mini fire cracker. And then, a grin overtook his face.

"Remy!"

"Hey dere, _petit._" Came the familiar voice, and the handsome features of Remy LeBeau appeared when he stepped into the light. Reid refrained from throwing himself at the man in delight; after all, he was working. "Y' sure got a lot o' cops on de streets t'night."

"The UnSubs should be dumping the body in this area if they follow their pattern. And a new victim will be taken."

"… Hm." Remy frowned. "I see… When y' t'ink you'll be headin' back t' de hotel?"

"Not sure." Reid admitted.

"Well… fixin to head back dere fo' a shower an sleep, me. Don't care what time it is, when you get back, you come t' my room." And he gave Reid a gentle smile. "Miss you, _cher_."

"I miss you too."

"Logan comin' t' town late t'night. He a bit mad 'dat I came down wit'out 'im."

"I'll bet." Reid grinned, skin tingling with the desire to be held by the man that was so close in front of him, and he knew that Remy could see it. The Cajun grinned.

"See y' soon." He said, and started walking away.

"Wait!" Reid called after him. "Did you find out anything else?"

"Patience, _cher_!" Remy called back over his shoulder. "Be talkin' to someone t'morrow, me! Let y' know if I get anyt'ing useful!" And he waved and disappeared around a corner. As he did, two men left the liquor store with a few six packs, and the last man paused and held the door open.

"Thank you." Emily smiled, striding out and heading over to Reid, while the man nodded politely, thought he openly eyed her up and down, and headed over to a van with the others, where a third man was waiting, playing on his phone and smoking a cigarette. They passed the beer to two other men in the van, piled in, and the van drove away, one man whistling out the window at Prentiss and cat-calling. She just rolled her eyes.

Reid and Emily continued to patrol until 2 am, when Hotch announced that a new shift would be taking over. The team, weary, headed back to their hotel. Reid went to the fifth floor with them and headed to his room, bidding the others goodnight and stepping into his room. But he just stepped inside and waited for the other doors to close, and then he stepped back out again and scurried back down the hall and into the elevator, heading down to the third floor, to room 317. And there, he knocked.

The door opened a few seconds later, and he was met by a gruff smile and deep blue eyes.

"Hey Darlin'."

"Logan!" He cried and stepped in, throwing his arms around the shorter man's neck. "You're already here?"

"Naw, kid. I'm still on my way."

"Oh, hush." Reid snorted while Logan chuckled.

"Just got here less than fifteen minutes ago." He said. "Rems has already filled me in on this case yer working. How'd it go when ya told the cops the victims are muties?"

"Give you two guesses."

"I'd guess the place either exploded, or plunged into anarchy."

"Both."

"Ah."

"At least their chief isn't letting them get away with it. He admitted that he doesn't like mutants, but as cops, he believes they aren't allowed to choose who they protect and serve. He's already threatened to take the main detectives off of the case if they don't do things right."

"Hm. Guess I don't hafta kill'im." Logan snorted, settling down on the sofa with a beer. "Remy's smoking. Why don't ya grab a shower, kid?"

"That sounds great." Reid groaned, and headed straight to the bathroom to do that.

Not two minutes later, Remy came back inside. "… Is 'dat d' shower?"

"Spencer's in there." Logan nodded.

"Ah. _Bon_. He been workin' long n' hard. He need it."

"Definitely. He looks exhausted."

"Well, we take care o' de _homme_. He be ours."

"Damn straight," Logan agreed with a firm nod, stretching his arm out and around Remy's shoulders when the man moved to sit beside him. "You're not exactly bright eyed yerself, Cajun."

"Did a lot o' diggin' f' information t' pass on t' Spencer." Remy sighed, unable to fight back a yawn. "Dis Cajun ready fo' some sleep…" And he wriggled around, resting his head on Logan's shoulder and closed his eyes. The feral just smiled slightly, resting his own head back onto the couch, and that was how Reid found them when he emerged, wearing one of Logan's white t-shirts. He smiled.

"You guys wanna head to bed?" He called softly. Logan opened his eyes and smirked at the sight of his lover's long, bare legs, then looked down at Remy's damp, russet hair.

"Think that's a good idea, darlin'." He nodded, and shook Remy, who had dozed off. "Come on, Cajun. Let's get into a proper bed."

"… Mmnh." Remy grunted, blinking open his eyes with a disgruntled look on his face. But when he saw Reid, a smile split his face.

"Hey 'dere, Nightlight." He greeted, standing and striding over to Reid, who sighed happily and melted into the man's embrace. Finally. Remy bowed his head and kissed Reid's wet hair. "Y' workin' too hard, _cher._"

"We have to stop these guys." Reid sighed, finally relaxing enough to open his mind and allow himself to feel the consciousness of the two men with him.

"_Je sais…_ But y' need t' take care 'o y'self, too."

"Listen ta Remy, babe." Logan said, reaching out and stroking Reid's wet hair. "Let's get you two in bed."

And the three made their way into the bedroom, Logan turning out the lights as he went. By the time he was ready to crawl into bed, Remy and Spencer were already dozing off, curled tightly against one another, limbs entwined with Remy spooning Spencer from behind. Logan cocked his head, trying to figure out how he was going to wedge himself in.

Sensing his thoughts, Reid cracked open one eye and smiled, lifting a hand. "We're not leaving you out, Logan. Come on."

"You readin' my mind again, pup?"

"Just a little…" Reid sighed, smiling when Logan slid into bed. Reid pulled the man in close, smiling as Logan nestled down into his arms, his back against Reid's chest. Reid didn't care what anyone said about Logan… he was the perfect Little Spoon. And even though he would never admit it out loud, Logan loved being the Little Spoon. Just as Spencer relished being in the middle.

Behind him Remy began to sing softly, voice barely above a whisper. The words were in a very sleepy French, and Reid was too tired to try and understand what it was Remy was saying. Especially when the man began to run his nimble fingers through Reid's hair. He drifted off to sleep listening to Remy's little song, and Logan's peaceful breathing…


	3. Chapter 3

Helios Rising

Spencer x Remy x Logan

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Derek Morgan groaned when there was a sudden banging on his hotel door. But then he heard Hotch calling that they had found a body. Morgan glanced at the clock. It was nearly eight am. He sighed and forced himself up.

He emerged in the hallway just as the others were. The team had getting ready fast down to an art. Hotch surveyed them, pleased, but then frowned. He turned and stared at Reid's door. He waited. Then he walked over and knocked. "Reid, come on." He called. There was no response. Not a sound. He frowned and banged on the door. "Reid!" He banged again. "REID?!"

"Here." Morgan sighed, pulling out his cell and calling.

Two floors down, Reid was dragged from his sleep by the shrill scream of his phone. Logan growled and Remy groaned, aggravated. Reid sighed and sat up, reaching over Remy with a "Shh!" And then he answered. "Morgan?"

"Damn kid." Morgan laughed. "You must have been OUT. Come on, we're all waiting for you!"

"Huh?"

"Hotch was bangin' on your door like, fifteen minutes ago, to wake you! You didn't hear?!"

"No… no, I…"

"They found a body."

"Go on down. I'll meet you guys in the lobby in… five minutes."

"I'll grab you a coffee, Pretty Boy."

"Thanks." Reid mumbled, and hung up. "I gotta go."

"Duty calls?" Logan rumbled as Reid scrambled over him and started to get dressed.

"… They found a body." Reid mumbled, and Logan sighed.

"Get to work, babe." He said. "Be safe."

"I will." Reid gasped, leaning over and kissing Logan quickly, then kissing Remy. "I love you both."

"Je t'aime aussi." Remy sighed, smiling.

"… What he said." Logan snorted and Reid grinned, slipping from the room.

He met the team down in the lobby and made a beeline for Morgan, seizing the cup of coffee.

"Reid? Are those the clothes you wore yesterday?" JJ asked.

"… I was in a rush." Reid mumbled, flushing.

"Let's go." Hotch said, and the team headed out.

The sun was rising when they arrived at the dump site. It was on the docks, and the body had been found by the men working on loading up a cargo ship with shipping containers. It was a woman in her late thirties, tossed out on the docks with limbs splayed out around her in a haphazard manner, bending and twisting in places that they shouldn't have.

"… They're getting more and more brutal with every kill…" Emily murmured, kneeling down beside the body. Reid hung back, worrying his lip.

"This is a pretty exposed place to be dumping a body." Morgan observed, looking around.

"They want the bodies to be found." Rossi nodded. "Sooner rather than later."

"Uh oh." JJ sighed, and they others followed her gaze. The media had arrived.

"JJ?"

"On it, Hotch." JJ nodded, and headed off to intercept them with a few officers, who were being ordered to set up a wide perimeter and to hold it.

The team spent about an hour inspecting the site and the body, and then headed back to the station once the coroner had bagged the corpse.

"You think they have a new victim yet?" Reid asked softly on the ride back to the station. Morgan glanced over at him.

"I dunno, kid." He sighed. "Are you okay? You seem to be… well…"

"I'm fine." Reid mumbled. "Can we get another coffee?" He asked, eyeing a Starbucks up ahead.

"Yeah." Morgan smiled and pulled in.

They arrived at the station ten minutes after the others, with coffee for everyone.

"Any luck on IDing the victim, Garcia?" Hotch asked; they had picked her up from the hotel on their way back from the crime scene.

"Not yet, sir." She sighed, tapping away at her keyboard. Reid slowly approached his map, and began to update it with the new dump site.

"… If they don't have a victim already…" He said softly, but still gaining the attention of his team, "they're out there right now… hunting."

The team said nothing… they just got to work.

It was eleven AM when it happened. The team turned when an officer burst into the room. "Agents! There's been another abduction."

"Let's go." Hotch said, and the whole team headed for the doors. Sanders and McKennon were waiting for them.

"Just got a call." Sanders said, looking unnerved for the first time since they had arrived. "These guys are getting REAL ballsy... This one was taken in public. With a lot of witnesses. They report a tan colored van as the getaway vehicle. We got plates, but came back as belonging to a stolen Toyota Camry."

"Bonus?" McKennon announced. "Security footage. No way to identify anyone, but it's something…"

"Good." Hotch said with a nod.

Morgan hopped into the driver's seat of one SUV, joined by McKennon, JJ and Reid. Hotch, Rossi and Emily ended up in the other with Sanders. The ride over was spent in tense conversation, the detectives filling the agents in.

"The staff didn't know that the guy was a mutant until the fight broke out. Guy fought, but didn't get far. Witnesses report that the guy was dragged out. He was unconscious, bleeding from a head wound and was wearing a strange collar."

"Wait… is that… OUR hotel?" JJ blurted. Beside her Reid tensed, and a sharp gasp escaped his lips. JJ turned and looked at him, watching the color drain from his face. "Reid? Are you—"

"No." Reid gasped, and flung open the door as they pulled up to the curb.

"Whah- REID!?" Morgan howled as he slammed on the breaks. But Reid was already running for the front door.

Behind them, Rossi blurted "Did I just see Reid jump out of a moving vehicle?" He and Emily exchanged looks, and then they jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped, Hotch just ahead of them. And before them, Morgan and JJ were chasing after Reid. The two detectives met, shared looks and shrugged, and then followed.

Across the lobby, the team caught up with Reid at the elevator. Reid pushed the UP button and bounced on the balls of his feet for a moment, then pushed it again. And again. And then several more times in rapid succession before blurting "Dammit!" And he whirled and bolted for the stairs.

"Reid!" Hotch barked, chasing after him. "What are you- We don't even know what floor-!" He stopped when Reid burst through the door, ignoring him.

"What the hell?!" Morgan blurted, and the entire team glanced around at each other before giving chase again. Reid was already half a flight up, and the others were hot on his heels. Hotch was starting to look more than a bit annoyed.

"Agent Reid, STOP!" He ordered loudly. Morgan lunged and snagged Reid's sleeve. On the landing between the second and third floor Reid twisted, shrugging off his coat and leaving it hanging from Morgan's hand, darting up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Where the hell is he going?!" Rossi gasped as he reached the landing, only to find everyone running up another flight of stairs. At the third floor, Reid burst through the doors and skidded to a stop. The team came tumbling out behind him, and to their surprise, they found themselves staring down a hallway filled with police, CSI's and Crime Scene tape.

"Reid… How did you know?!" Morgan asked, staring at his friend in baffled concern. Hotch looked furious, and he moved to stand before Reid and go off on him, but he was taken aback at the look on Reid's face. It was a look of sheer terror and devastation. And Reid didn't even seem to notice the intimidating hulk of Hotch and Morgan on either side of him. Before their eyes, the young genius' eyes shimmered with tears that he blinked back, even as he shook his head slightly.

"No…" He breathed, a tremor in his voice even as his body began to tremble. He forced himself forward and moved down the hall as if in a daze. The cops turned and one moved to impede his progress, but Hotch, on Reid's heels, flashed his credentials and waved him back. A few feet away from the door, that looked like it had been blasted off by an explosion, Reid paused. The team silently and vigilantly watched as Reid reached out with his trembling fingers and touched a scorch mark on the wall opposite the doorway. He closed his eyes momentarily, then took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself, before he turned to look through doorway and into the hotel room. They watched from the side as his eyes widened in horror and his mouth dropped open slightly in his shock before a soft sound passed his lips, something between a whimper and a moan.

All activity around them had stopped. The police and crime scene investigators all stopped what they were doing and stared at the young man in the door. His eyes swept over the destruction of the hotel room before he stepped inside. The team followed. The place was a mess.

"Damn…" Morgan breathed.

The room had been utterly destroyed. There were scorch marks on the carpet and holes blasted in the walls. Chairs were in splintered fragments over the floor and the remains of the sofa was smoldering. A long staff protruded from the wall of the bar under the counter in the kitchen area, and playing cards were scattered over the floor and across the coffee table that had, remarkably, survived. Reid moved further into the room and then knelt, though he also may have collapsed. It was hard to tell…

He reached out for a blood spattered card, only to have his wrist seized in a harsh grip. Reid gasped and jerked his head up, staring into the harsh gaze of Aaron Hotchner. A moment later, he looked down. In the man's other hand was a pair of latex gloves. Swallowing thickly, Reid reached out and plucked them from the man's fingers, tugging them on before he reached down and picked up the Ace of Spades. His eyes passed over the mess of cards and he reached out and ran his fingers over them, then looked over the ones on the floor.

"… He… he didn't even have a chance to get off a shot…" He finally gasped.

"What?" Hotch asked, frowning.

"They're all here. Fifty two. They… they're all here… he didn't even…" Swallowing again, Reid forced himself to his feet and stared at the blown out windows and the torn and singed curtains.

"Reid?" Hotch asked, cautiously. Reid blinked and then turned, heading back towards the bedroom. The team followed, all of them on edge, all of them wanting to know what the hell was going on, but none of them willing to voice anything. Not with Reid acting like he was.

"… Get out." Reid said suddenly. He was looking at the crime scene photographer and the lone officer with her. The cop frowned.

"Are you done here?" Hotch asked quickly.

"Yessir." The photographer breathed.

"Give us a few minutes." Hotch said. The cop and photographer hesitated, but then left amiably.

"Gentlemen… can we have some privacy?" Rossi asked as the detectives came hurrying in. And despite their half hearted and confused protests, he managed to clear the hotel room and herd everyone back into the hall before rejoining the team in the bedroom. He closed the door, and all eyes turned to Reid, who had his back to the team. After a moment, he knelt and picked up a long trench coat and gripped it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His head fell forward and he whined slightly in the back of his throat before he looked around.

"Reid… What's going on here?" Hotch demanded to know. But Reid didn't answer. Instead, he lunged for a duffel bag on the dresser and rooted through it, frowning. Then he turned and knelt, running his fingers down an odd pair of armored boots, and a set of strange looking clothes on the floor beside an overturned chair. Then he jerked open the drawers of the dresser, before going to the closet and pawing through it, then moving to another duffel bag in the corner and digging through it.

"… REID!" Hotch demanded, and Reid finally turned and looked at the man. "What the hell is going on. How did you know what floor it was. What do you know about THIS?!"

"And Reid?" Morgan said, kneeling by the bed near the window. "Is this… yours?" And he rose, a purple scarf in his hands. A very familiar purple scarf.

"That's not good…" Rossi said slowly.

"Could the UnSubs be leaving us a message?" Morgan asked, looking around.

"How the hell would they be able to get Reid's scarf?!" JJ asked, alarmed.

Reid stared at the scarf, a pained look on his face. He slowly reached out and took it from Morgan, staring at it in his hands and bowing his head, before taking a deep breath and saying "It's not a message. My scarf is here because… this is where I left it."

"… What?!" Morgan blurted.

"I… have a lot to tell you guys. And… it's going to change everything. I'm sorry." The team stared.

"What are you talking about, Reid?" Emily asked.

"… We can't talk here." Reid said suddenly, bursting into activity and beginning to shove items from the bedroom into the two duffel bags. The interesting thing was that he seemed to know which item went in which bag. He paused as he held a package of cigarettes and a lighter in his hands, before he shoved them into one of the bags. The team watched silently when he ran his fingers over the trench coat with a pained look before tucking it away atop the boots and then zipped up the bag. He shouldered the two duffel bags and said "Let's go."

"Reid… That's evidence." Rossi pointed out.

"So we take them with us." Reid said. "I'm not letting these bags out of my sight." And to the surprise of his team, his eyes were steely and unwavering, daring them to challenge him.

"… Let's go." Hotch said, eyeing Reid.


	4. Chapter 4

Hotch took a steadying breath as he closed the door of the room. He had been annoyed with the dark, closed off closet of a room that the LEO's had given his team to work in, but now he was grateful for it. It was just his team in that room, completely secure with no way for anyone to listen in. He turned and looked at his team, uneasy at the divide he saw. The team was clustered together at one end of the conference table, and Reid sat on his own at the other end, the two duffel bags on either side of him. His elbows were on the table and he had his fingers pressed against his forehead with one hand, while staring down at the Ace of Spades card in his other hand, eyes lingering on the spatter of blood.

"Alright, Reid." Hotch said, forcing his voice to be gentle. It was more than obvious that his youngest, and most emotionally fragile agent, was distressed. "You said you had something to tell us." Slowly, following their Unit Chief's lead, the team took their seats, though they left Reid alone at the end, sensing his need for the distance at the moment.

"I… don't even know where to start." Reid mumbled. "I have to tell you now… at the end of it all, I… I'm going to lose my job over this." The team looked stunned, now. "And that's if I'm lucky. Odds are… the Bureau will place me under arrest, and I'll have to either submit to never seeing the light of day again, or going on the run."

"Reid, it can't be that—"

"You have no idea, Hotch."

"Okay… Let's start with… how did you know what floor we had to go to. When we hadn't even been told? It seems that you know something about our newest victim, this…" He glanced at the paper, "Eddie Lennox." Reid snorted, an amused smile crossing his face and he shook his head when Garcia, at the other end of the table, announced "who there are no records of. I don't think that was his real name."

"It's not." Reid confirmed, and then to himself, "That idiot. Where the hell did he come up with that name?"

"So you do know him?"

"… Yes." Reid sighed, lifting the Ace of Spades and staring at it. "He's… very important to me. And… it's my fault that this happened to him…"

"Reid… you know it's not your fault!" JJ immediately said.

"But it is." Reid said. "He's our anonymous informant. He was there… because I was."

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked.

"I mean… when he found out I was here on this case he drove up here and booked a room in our hotel. To… help out and spend time together."

"When we knocked on your door this morning…" Rossi began slowly.

"I didn't hear it because I wasn't in my room. I was in his." Reid confirmed. "And… when you called me this morning I left in a hurry."

"And left your scarf." Hotch concluded. "That explains that. But Reid… how do you know a… a mutant."

"I met him a year or so before I entered the Bureau Academy." Reid said softly. "He was one of the mutants who… helped me."

"Helped you what?"

"… get control of my own powers." Reid finally said, letting out a sigh that sounded like he had just relinquished the weight of the world. Silence followed this revelation for a long time. Reid finally had to look up, to see their reactions. They were all just staring, dumbfounded.

"… I'm a mutant." Reid finally said, just to break that God awful silence.

"No way." Morgan countered. Reid sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. Morgan and the others tensed when an iridescent sheen passed over Reid's eyes for a moment before they flashed white, and then became a brilliant swirl of dancing colors, like a shaft of light fracturing into a rainbow within a prism.

"My powers came to me later in life than they usually do. I was in college." Reid explained, his eyes slowly fading back to normal. "I started having trouble with them. Gideon had wanted me to join the Bureau but it was too dangerous for me."

"Gideon KNEW?!" Hotch asked, sharply.

"Yes." Reid nodded. "He was the… only one who knew."

"You told him?"

"He profiled it." Reid chuckled. "I just didn't deny it. Anyway, my last year in college, when I was finishing my third PhD, this… random kid came up to me. He said that he was a mutant and he could sense the trouble I was having. He had no interest in helping me, but he knew someone who could, and he gave me a number. A week later, I called it. And as soon as I graduated, I went."

"Where?" Rossi asked.

"A school. For mutants." Reid answered. "Mutants of all ages live there. The head of the school is a powerful mutant. While it functions like a private school with a proper education, the true purpose of the school is to give young mutants a place to be safe. To be themselves. To be accepted. To learn to embrace who, and what, they are… and most importantly… to learn to CONTROL our gifts so that we do not become a threat to ourselves or others."

"And this Eddie…" Garcia said, making Reid smirk and snicker at the name again, "was another student?"

"No. He was one of the teachers. He helped me a lot. He became a friend, a mentor… and then he became… more."

"Define 'more', Reid!" Morgan blurted, looking alarmed. Reid gave him an amused look.

"I just told you that I spent the night in his room, Morgan. And you were just IN his room."

"And?"

"I think his point is… there was only one bed." Emily said with a grin on her face. Morgan looked stunned.

"Let me get this straight… you were sleeping with your… your…"

"Boyfriend?" JJ offered.

"… on a case?!" Morgan finished. Reid winced and glanced at Hotch. The man's face was unreadable.

"We take what we can get. Between my work and his, we… rarely see each other. When he found out I was so close…" Reid trailed off and shrugged.

"Reid…" Hotch said. "We need to know who he is, what he looks like, and what he can do."

Reid flinched and lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry…" He murmured. "I can't tell you that."

"Reid, he—"

"Would be furious." Reid said quickly. "Even with his life in danger. What I can tell you is that these guys are stepping up their game. He's a powerful mutant, and there aren't many who can take him down. Even with a tranq gun, he metabolizes stuff like that too quickly. These guys are fast and efficient. He's the most powerful mutant that they've taken so far. And I have to find him." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he tried to steady himself with a deep breath. "I can't lose him…"

"We can help, Reid!" Hotch pressured. "But you need to tell us everything you know about our new victim!"

"I can't!" Reid cried. "It would reveal too much! I'm not just protecting him, Hotch, but that whole school!"

Hotch rose to his feet, but before any more words could be said, there was a commotion from out in the station. People were arguing. Shouting. And then a gruff voice roared "Where are the agents?!"

"Now what?" Rossi groaned, but Reid had leapt to his feet, eyes wide in shock.

"He's okay... Oh, thank God..." A moment later, and he had bolted from his seat and burst through the door. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, the team followed, heading towards the mess of officers in the lobby area, a few who had their guns out.

"Get yer hand off me, bub. Before I take it off!" Game the threatening snarl.

"Let him go!" Reid cried, shoving his way through the officers. Through the path he had made, the team set their eyes on a short, but powerfully built man with rugged features, wicked sideburns and a nasty gleam in his eye that vanished when he laid eyes on Reid. He lowered his raised fist and his snarl vanished from his face.

"Oh my God… Logan." Reid said. "You're okay."

"Cops wouldn't let me in the hotel. Wouldn't tell me a Goddamned thing." The man growled, blue eyes flashing.

"I know."

"Someone said that something happened. Involving a mutant?" The man named Logan continued. Reid nodded.

"Yes… Logan… I…"

"Spencer." Logan cut off. "Where is he. Where's Gumbo?"

That question was all it took to break through Reid's cracked resolve. And it all came crashing down. He began to tremble and his eyes prickled and his vision blurred as the tears welled up and spilled down his face. His breath hitched and he flung himself forwards, throwing his arms around the other man with a sob of both grief, and relief at the feeling of the powerful arms immediately holding him close.

"They took him, Logan!" He cried, burying his face into the juncture of the man's neck and shoulder. "They took Remy!"

"Shhh…" Logan soothed. "Calm down, darlin'. It's gonna be okay."

"Okay?!" Reid nearly shrieked, stepping back and staring down at him. "You have no idea what they're going to do to him!"

"I've a vague notion." Logan said calmly. "But what I do know is that our Cajun is a survivor. We'll get him, and he'll hold on until we do. That sonuvabitch is too damned stubborn to up and die, pup."

"Gentlemen…" Hotch said, approaching. "This would be best done elsewhere." Logan eyed him, narrowing his eyes, but Reid dashed away his tears and nodded, composing himself once more.

"Yessir. Come on." And he towed Logan away by the hand.

"I'm not liking this direction." Logan grumbled in protest.

"You'll live." Reid responded. The team scrambled after them, and they all ended up in that God awful little break room, shutting out all of the cops, who were NOT happy. Once inside, Logan's eyes lit up and he immediately seized one of the duffel bags that Reid had taken from the hotel.

"Hah! Knew I could count on ya, kid!" And he dug in one of the side pockets and pulled out a cigar.

"It's illegal to smoke in a federal building." Hotch said firmly. Logan leveled a glare on the man, then just stuck the cigar between his teeth and started viciously chomping on it. But then his eyes fell to the little item Reid had left on the table top and he momentarily froze before slowly picking it up. The team saw worry flashing through his eyes as he looked at the blood spattered Ace of Spades.

"I can't believe this…" He sighed, slowly sitting down beside Reid and ignoring the team. "I was only gone fer two hours. Tell me he took a few down?"

"… He never had a chance, Logan." Reid sighed. "The place was a mess. He fought, but not for long. I think he managed to get to his cards, but never actually managed to grab them. It's like they were spilled around. And they were all there. A full deck. He… he never got a shot off."

"That's impossible!" Logan blurted, looking alarmed. "That swamp rat has some of the fastest reflexes I ever seen! In humans and mutants alike! He's no pushover! How did they get him?!"

"Tranquilizer darts and an inhibitor collar, I think." Reid said, and Logan growled. "Pump him full of enough stuff to slow him down just long enough to bash him on the head and get the collar on. Witnesses report that he had… a head injury that was bleeding… You were with him right before?"

"I was only gone fer two hours, darlin'."

"Right before you left… what were you two doing?"

"I had just taken a shower. Gumbo was bitchin' that it was too early. He was goin' back ta sleep."

"That's how they got him, then." Reid said. "He was asleep."

"No way. Ya know what a light sleeper he is. Ya know how fast he can be up and fighting."

"Unless he thought it was you, coming back."

"Doubt it. He would know. That damn empath would KNOW."

"But fast enough to not get shot? Even Remy isn't perfect, Logan."

Logan growled at Reid's point, clenching his fists.

"… What's gonna happen ta him?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yeah. I do."

"Logan, you—"

"Ya ain't protectin' me from this, pup. I want the goddamned truth! I got the right ta know. Just like you."

Reid stared at Logan with a pained look, but then nodded.

"Reid." Hotch said firmly. "You can't just go sharing evidence."

"He can help, Hotch." Reid responded, standing. "He can take it, and he can help. More than you know. I've worked with Logan before. I know what he can do. And he can help."

"Reid…"

"Please. Take him on as a consultant."

"Reid, I can't just—"

"Look bub." Logan snapped, standing and moving between Hotch and Reid, staring down the Unit Chief. "I'm gonna do what I do, with or without the approval of a bunch of damn Feds. Even if ya ARE Spencer's friends. I don't let nothin' get in my way." And then he turned a look onto Reid. "And just what makes ya think I wanna be a consultant?! I'll find the Cajun. MY way."

"Logan." Reid sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now is no time for you to go off half cocked and solo. Like HE does. And you HATE it when he does that. Don't be a hypocrite. We'll find him faster together. For his sake, please…"

Logan growled. "… Fine. Fer now."

"Fine." Reid said, plopping down and shoving folders in Logan's direction. "It's a pack. We don't know if they're human, mutant or both. We suspect there are at least five of them. They abduct mutants on Sunday morning, keep them for week, torturing them, and then they kill them and dump their bodies on Saturday night."

"Why."

"That's part of what we do." Reid said. "We try and figure that out."

"No big question here. They're humans who hate mutants."

"Maybe. But it's not always that simple. WHY do they hate mutants?" Logan gave Reid a disgusted look at that question.

"Do they ever need a reason?" He growled.

"This is different, Logan." Reid sighed.

Emily slowly moved and sat down across from the strange man that she was, honestly, shocked to be on such friendly terms with Reid.

"There are… a lot of people out there who don't like mutants." She said, and fought not to flinch at the surprising ferocity of this man's gaze as it snapped over and locked onto her. But she was just as good of a profiler as anyone, and she could see that this man was beyond worried, not matter how much he was hiding it. "People who don't trust mutants, who hate them, who want them gone." She continued. "There are people who go out there and… protest and lobby for ways to get rid of them. But there are NOT many out there who gather in a small group and actively hunt, torture and kill mutants. Not like this. These are people whose fear of mutants, has been inspired by something. Something pushed these men into doing what they're doing. I hate to say it, but… either they have been wronged, or they perceived that they were wronged, dramatically so, by a mutant. And so they're taking out their rage on any and every mutant they can get their hands on."

"These guys are incredibly in control." Rossi continued, understanding what Emily was doing. He moved to sit beside her and now locked eyes with Logan, who was beginning to relax, and listen… "Mutants are NOT easy targets. If these guys were cowards, they would go after easy targets… the mutants' friends, families, loved ones. The ones who couldn't fight back in the way mutants can. But they go after mutants and they go after them successfully."

Morgan had caught on now. "They likely are or were members of law enforcement, maybe military veterans… big game hunters. They work seamlessly as a team. That's the only reason they're able to pull off these abductions."

"It would take no less," Reid said softly, laying a hand on Logan's arm, "to take down Remy. These guys are good. And they know what they're doing."

"There's a Pack Leader. The Alpha." Hotch now said, moving to sit, surprisingly, right next to Logan, and he opened up the folders and began to spread out the photos for the man to see. Logan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the bodies, and snarled, now beginning to get an idea of what was going to befall one of the two young men that belonged to him…

"He's a charismatic individual, and he has manipulated the others into doing his dirty work. It's likely that they all knew each other. Maybe they worked together, have been life long friends, maybe they're related. If it wasn't one event that sent them on this path, then either they all had their own grievances with mutants that the Alpha was able to use to manipulate them, or he was able to manipulate them into believing that one grievance, whether they were all involved or not, affected them as much as it affected him. Either way, we're looking at people who believe that they are… making the world safer. Getting rid of that which makes the world a more dangerous place."

"We call them House Cleaners." Reid told Logan. "They believe they're cleaning the streets of the trash that is… us."

"Why don't they just kill them, then?" Logan asked, now genuinely confused. "Why aren't they just goin' around killin' us where they find us?"

"Because…" Morgan answered. "For them, it's also personal. This is a vendetta being carried out by sadists."

"… And they say mutants are the freaks." Logan snarled, abruptly standing and pacing the length of the room before turning and storming out. Reid sighed and stood, not even glancing at his team as he followed the feral out. Once he was gone, Morgan looked around.

"So… who the hell is that guy, anyway?"

Reid found Logan in the alley to the side of the station, lighting his cigar. He took a deep drag and held his breath for a long moment before slowly letting it out again, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. He sensed Reid approach and settle next to him, not quite touching, but close enough that he could feel the warmth coming off of the slender young man.

After a long silence, Logan spoke softly. "What's our timetable?"

"Hard to say, really." Reid confessed. "We know what they do, but we're not entirely sure of our accuracy on when. So many of the previous victims' injuries could be fatal, eventually. But they all actually died the same way."

"The cut throat?"

"Yes."

"Hnh. If that Cajun don't watch his mouth, they'll do that first." Logan grunted. Reid winced.

"Yeah… that worries me." He admitted. "Remy isn't exactly the type to hold his tongue and play it smart. If he pushes them too far…"

"He might not make it ta Saturday night." Logan finished, and Reid gave a silent nod. "Okay kid… what are the odds?"

"… I… I can't put numbers on this, Logan. I don't… want to even try. I just want to find him."

"We will, darlin'."

"I know." Reid whispered, wrapping his arms around himself. "But… will it be too late?"

"Hell no." Logan said firmly, putting out his cigar and heading back inside. Reid followed him through the doors. "Don't forget, pup. One phone call and I can put Jeannie and Chuck on the case. Get Cerebro workin' on it."

"Logan… the inhibitor collar would disrupt that. Even Cerebro wouldn't be able to pinpoint Remy's location. Even if the Professor could find Remy, he wouldn't even be sure that it was HIM!" Reid pointed out as they returned to the room/closet where the team was cloistered.

"Have ya talked ta the local muties?" Logan asked, tucking his lighter into his duffel bag and digging around in it for something, which ended up being a package of jerky.

"It's hard to find them." Hotch answered. "Most of them hide what they are. Those that don't, or can't, well… they won't talk to the cops."

"Much less the FBI." Rossi pointed out.

"Well then." Logan said, smirking and showing an overly sharp canine. "Maybe ya SHOULD take me on as a… consultant." The team stared at him.

"Mutants will be much more likely to open up to their own kind." Reid clarified, smiling slightly. "Let me change. I'll go with you. That way it can still be… semi-official."

"Reid… I need a word with you in private before you go." Hotch said. Reid stared at him and nodded tensely, but then turned to Logan.

"I only have work clothes. Did you, by any chance…?"

"Have ya ever known Gumbo NOT to bring ya something he thought ya would be hot in? He doesn't trust ya to dress yerrself." Logan chuckled then, looking quite happy all of a sudden. He grabbed the other duffel bag and dug through it as Reid sighed out "Yeah… I was afraid of that. But this time it's helpful."

"Okay. I'm sorry." Garcia finally blurted out, standing. "Gumbo? Cajun? Remy?"

"Remy." Logan growled as he tugged a pair of jeans out of the bag and tossed them to Reid. "His name is Remy. And that's all yer gettin'."

"I need more than just a first name and the fact that he is, I'm assuming, from Louisiana…?" Garcia said.

"Yer not gettin' anything else." Logan said firmly, watching as Reid leaned over and snagged a shirt out of Remy's duffel bag. He smiled slightly; Spencer had deliberately taken one of their Remy's shirts, and then brushed his fingers over the back of Logan's hand, tracing where his claws were, before he slipped from the room.

Once he was gone, Logan felt the attention of all the other agents turn onto him. He sighed and picked up the blood spattered Ace of Spades again, saying "I'm not puttin' up with any interrogation. I don't like cops, I don't like questions."

"Sorry…" JJ said with a wry smile. "You have to understand. Spence is family. We're all close. But he… never mentioned you or this… Remy. Who he's apparently dating. So we're all a bit shocked and confused and… wondering who YOU are to Spence? Call it being overprotective."

"That's his life ta talk about. Not mine." Logan said calmly, studying the photos of the injuries on the victims. "How many have died?"

"… twelve."

"And Remy is lucky thirteen." Logan murmured.

"Who is this Remy?" Morgan asked.

"A mutant." Logan responded.

"That's WHAT is he. WHO is he?"

"Remy." Logan stated. Morgan was looking annoyed now. A moment later, Reid walked back in, his clothes tucked under his arm. He was now in the dark blue jeans and a long sleeved black shirt that looked like it was designed to hug and cling to the boy, but it fell a bit loose on him. Logan looked him over and smirked.

"Don't exactly fill it out like Gumbo does, do ya?"

"Shut up." Reid said with a smile, stuffing his work clothes into Remy's duffel bag and pulling out the trench coat. He stared at it for a moment before he pulled it on, closing his eyes and savoring the scent of Remy Lebeau that clung to it, along with the smell of cigarettes, and at the end of the sleeves, close to his hand, that scent that could be detected when Remy charged something up. Then he fixed his gun onto his belt, sliding it back so that it was hidden in the trench coat.

"It's a bit big on you, Reid." Morgan laughed.

"Gumbo would pounce ya on sight if he saw ya wearin' his clothes like that." Logan grinned, eyes raking over Reid in a manner that told him that Logan was wanting to pounce him just as he had said that Remy would. "Ready?"

"In a minute. I'll meet you outside." Reid told him. Logan dug out another cigar and tucked it into his pocket, nodding to Reid and leaving the room. Reid turned to Hotch.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." Hotch nodded.

"In private?" Reid asked. Hotch said nothing. "By private, you meant 'without Logan'."

"Who is he, Reid?"

"A friend."

Hotch narrowed his eyes. "You won't tell us anything about him, or our victim. Reid. Either you need you tell us what's going on, or I'm pulling you off of the case. By all rights, I should! If you're dating our victim…"

"Then pull me off!" Reid snapped, eyes hardening. "Logan and I can find Remy ourselves. You want to know why I'm not telling you anything? Because I love them! I love them both, and I have to protect them! They're mutants, Hotch! The government doesn't care. The only reason we were called out on this case was because they didn't know that the victims were mutants until WE uncovered that pattern! If they had, the police wouldn't have bothered looking into them at all! You don't know about them because I have TWO lives! My life as Doctor Reid of the FBI, and my life as Spencer, the mutant. I very rarely get to be Spencer the mutant. But that part of my life has become precious to me, because of Remy and Logan. I'm going to protect it with everything that I have! Especially now. Because once the Bureau finds out about me, there won't be a life for Doctor Reid of the FBI anymore. It will be Spencer the mutant, FBI's Most Wanted!"

"Reid… we're not going to tell the Bureau." Hotch said softly. Reid stared at Hotch, and at the team.

"… What?"

"You think we don't know what they'll do to you?" Morgan asked.

"I don't understand?" Reid gasped, looking completely flummoxed.

"We talked it over while you were outside with your friend, Spence." JJ told him. "You're family. And it's not right that things should change just because you're a mutant. You've been able to hide that all this time. From us. We'll help you keep it hidden from everyone else."

"And… we can hide the fact that you know the victim." Hotch said.

Reid stared around at them. "But if you were to be found out," he gasped, "You could all lose your jobs."

"Some things are more important than careers, Reid." Emily smiled.

"Like family." JJ nodded.

"But Reid…" Hotch said, catching his attention. "If we're going to help you, we have to know everything."

Reid was silent for a long time. "… I can't." He finally said. "I'll tell you everything in regards to me. And I can give you some info about other stuff but… Remy's name cannot appear anywhere on any documents."

"That's going to be impossible, Reid." Garcia said softly. "When we get him, he'll need medical care and—"

"It will be provided. But not at a hospital." Reid said, picking up the Ace of Spades and tucking it into his wallet, which he slid into his pocket before heading to the door. "We'll talk tonight. Right now, Logan is waiting."

"Reid…" Hotch said warningly, grabbing his agent's arm. Reid looked up at him.

"I promise, Hotch." He said, softly. "I'll tell you everything I can. But right now, I need to be with Logan. He means as much to me as Remy. And Remy means as much to him, as he does to me. As much as we both mean… to Remy."

"You're in a three way relationship?" Morgan blurted out in shock.

"I'll explain it all tonight." Reid simply said, and walked out the door. The team watched as he met up with Logan in the lobby of the station, and the pair walked out, side by side.

"… There is a whole other side to that boy…" Morgan mumbled, and Rossi nodded.

"Yes, there is."


	5. Chapter 5

"Where to, darlin'?" Logan asked as Reid emerged from the station.

"All the abductions have taken place in a five mile radius." Reid said. "We start there. Oh crap…"

"What?" Logan asked, already grinning.

"You couldn't bring your car?!"

"You know me an' Gumbo prefer the bikes."

"Uhg…" Reid sighed, accepting the offered helmet. He tugged it on and swung one of his long legs over, sliding up behind Logan and pressing in tight, wrapping his arms around the man's waist. And after giving Logan directions, they were off, and soon they found themselves in a rough part of town, near the docks.

"I thought you said they were all taken from within a five mile radius."

"… Remy was the exception." Reid said softly. He took a deep breath. "And…"

"What?"

"Before you arrived in town, Remy was actually out… doing what we're doing now. He was going to act as a confidential informant. Slip me uh… anonymous tips. We met briefly in a parking lot last night and… Oh God." Logan blinked when Reid began fumbling for his phone.

The team looked up when Hotch's phone rang and he said "It's Reid." He answered. "You're on speaker Reid."

"They saw him with me!"

"What?" Morgan asked.

"Last night! Emily stopped in a liquor store to use the bathroom. Remy approached me in the parking lot. There was a van, a tan van across the street. And a man was next to it. He would have seen me talking to Remy. And when Emily came out, some other guys came out. One held the door open for you, remember?!"

"Yes." Emily gasped, eyes wide. "You're right. And they took off in a tan colored van."

"… In the direction that Remy had gone in…" Reid breathed. "Oh God. They saw him talking to me and they followed him back to the hotel." He slowly turned and looked at the other mutant standing behind him. "This is all my fault. Logan, I'm so sorry! I never should have—"

"Hey." Logan interrupted, moving in and gathering his lover into his arms. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey… shhhh…" He soothed. "No, darlin'… this wasn't your fault. And we both know that if they didn't have Remy, they would have someone else. Someone who maybe isn't as strong as our boy. Who hasn't faced down worse… We'll find him. And he'll hold on. But we have to get to work, okay?"

"Yeah." Reid whispered, nodding and rubbing at his eyes, drawing a deep breath and regaining his composure.

"How could they know he was a mutant?" Logan asked. "Sounds like they weren't close enough to see his…"

Reid frowned, and then his eyes widened. "… His cigarette."

"Fuck." Logan sighed, shaking his head.

"Go, Reid." Hotch said, staring at the phone. "We'll see about getting security footage from the store and maybe have Prentiss talk to a sketch artist."

"God, this is all my fault." Reid murmured, and Garcia began tapping away.

"Go." Hotch said firmly, and Reid hung up.

He remained silent for the next long stretch. He let Logan do the talking. Logan was street smart and knew how to find the mutants that didn't want to be found. Spencer had never had to do that before so he had no idea how to go about it in ways that wouldn't make him suspicious. Profiler or not, getting people to talk wasn't always easy. And some wouldn't talk strictly because you were law enforcement… like FBI.

Finally, Logan came jogging up an alley that Reid was standing in the entrance of. He had a smirk.

"Well… I found them."

"Them?"

"A small community of mutants. Living in the sewers. The Morlocks in New York aren't that unique after all. Now come on."

"Sewers?! Really?"

"Come on, Spencer." Logan chuckled. "This way." Reid followed him. They ended up in a large drainage channel at the coast. They slid down the steep slope, and headed for the dark tunnels. Reid groaned and Logan just smirked and walked right in without hesitation. Reid followed, grumbling under his breath the whole way. About a hundred yards in, Logan turned.

"Here." He said, and walked over to a metal door. He lifted the lever and tugged and it opened with a tortured shriek. Reid just sighed and stepped in.

"It's pitch black." He commented.

"What do you want me to do about it, Nightlight?"

"Shut up." Reid snapped, and Logan watched as Reid's eyes lit up in a brilliant swirl of colors. He held out his hand and a small ball of soft white light appeared, drifting up until he hovered about two feet over Reid's head, illuminating the place.

"Let's go." Reid mumbled, and reluctantly began to head into the tunnels, his little light drifting along after him. Logan smirked and followed. When they came to a fork in the tunnel, Reid looked at Logan. "Which way?"

"Hell if I know."

"What?! You said you knew where they are!"

"I know they're down here." Logan shrugged.

"… Uhg…"

Logan chuckled and stepped forward, sniffing the air. Then he turned right. "This way, Nightlight."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop calling me that."

"It's cute." Logan grinned, and Reid rolled his eyes.

"I never liked it."

"Yeah, but I always loved watching how much the Cajun could get under your skin callin' you that."

"You just like watching us bicker." Reid laughed, following as Logan headed straight when they came to another tunnel crossing their own.

"And you don't like watching us bicker?" Logan shot back, and Reid grinned.

"It's funny."

"You know… I don't think he gets the pleasure of seeing US bicker."

"That's because we don't, Logan. Which tells you right there… Remy starts it. Gambit is the secret son of Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord."

Now Logan was laughing. "Don't go tellin' him that, pup! Last thing we need is for that Cajun to get it into his head that he's descended from divinity! It's hard enough to live with him now, with his ego sucking up all the air in the room!"

Now they were both laughing.

They quieted down quickly when they stepped into a large chamber. They looked around, and Reid's ball of light rose higher into the air and got a bit brighter. There were other openings up on the walls, sewer tunnels big enough for a man to fit in.

"Now where?" Reid asked softly.

"Gimme a sec." Logan rumbled. "There are a lot of scents in here going different ways."

"… Hey… what in…?" Reid murmured, and Logan turned. Reid was staring straight down and frowning. Logan looked down. And he was startled. With the ball of light overhead, they should be casting shadows. But they weren't. In fact, they seemed to be standing in one large, misshapen shadow. But there was nothing around that would cast a shadow like that.

By the time they came to the realization that something wasn't right, it was too late. Reid let out a yelp as he fell through the floor, disappearing into the shadow, and before Logan could react, he too was falling. They found themselves spinning through a thick darkness, and then…

They were back in the chamber. Hanging upside down from the ceiling, their feet still trapped in the strange shadow. Reid's ball of light had vanished when he was startled, but there was light below them. Several mutants stared up at them, holding camping lanterns. One girl, looking to be about eighteen, had her solid black eyes locked on them, and her hands were raised.

A man in his forties cocked his head up at the mutants on the ceiling.

"You are trespassing." He said, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that they could feel as much as they could hear it.

"We mean ya no harm." Logan said, slowly putting his hands up… down… up, whatever. "We just wanna talk."

"You wanna talk?" Rumbled the man below. "Then talk."

"Did… did you talk to someone the other day?" Reid asked. "A stranger? Dark red hair, maybe hid his eyes behind his shades?"

"… Wore that coat?"

Reid blinked, remembering that he was wearing Remy's trench coat.

"… Yes. You DID see him, then?"

"He came around. Asking questions. Talked funny. The girls liked him…"

"That's him alright." Logan smirked. "We're friends of his."

"Prove it."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Logan snapped.

"Who are you."

"I'm called Wolverine. This is Helios." Logan growled. "Our friend's name is Gambit."

"He came out to gather information for me." Reid called down. "He came asking about mutants disappearing and turning up dead."

"And?"

"… He's disappeared." Reid said softly. "We have one week to find him, before HE turns up dead. Please… help us."

The man studied the pair.

"You one of us?" He asked. Reid and Logan glanced at one another, and then looked back down at the man.

"Yes." Logan nodded.

"Prove it."

Logan sighed and rolled his eyes, and with a sharp metallic ring, he unsheathed his claws. The man looked down at the girl and nodded. Logan yelped as he was sucked up into the ceiling, and a moment later, a shadow appeared on the floor and he rose out of it, looking a bit disoriented and less than pleased about it. But he looked around and then calmed down. Eyes turned up to Reid, still hanging from the ceiling.

"Go on, kid. Light 'em up."

"Shut up." Reid grumbled, but his eyes flashed white and then the colors began to spiral over his luminous orbs. They returned to normal with a gasp as Reid was sucked back up into the ceiling, but moments later and he was standing beside Logan.

"Woo…" He choked out, wind-milling his arms as he almost toppled over. Logan steadied him.

"You okay, darlin'?"

"Yeah." Reid nodded, blinking his eyes back into focus.

"This way." Rumbled the man, and exchanging looks, the pair followed him and the mutants with him. Fifteen minutes later, they emerged into a long, large chamber lined with tents. At least two dozen mutants were there, all looking up when they appeared. In the middle of the chamber was a bonfire, and it was here that they were led.

"What have you brought this time, Thunder?" An older man asked.

"They claim to be friends of the man who was here the other day…"

"Gambit?" The man asked, and Thunder nodded.

"Yes."

"Have a seat." The old man said, and Reid and Logan did so. When the man turned to face them, they were surprised to see that he had no eyes. Not even eye sockets. Instead, there were strange, ribbed pits in his face that seemed to quiver and vibrate.

"… I see through heat signatures and echolocation. My name is Jacob." The man said, simply. "So. You are friends of the mutant, Gambit?"

"We are." Logan said, staring at the man.

"He came here asking questions." Reid stated. "We need to know everything you told him."

"And everything you didn't." Logan growled. Jacob frowned. "He was taken." Logan added, and Jacob's frown deepened. "And it wasn't willingly."

"You think he was taken by the killers?"

"We're certain." Reid said softly.

"We know Gambit. He wouldn't have just come here, gotten information and left. Odds are, he helped you people out in some way. Didn't he?" Logan asked. Jacob stared at them, or, at least what passed for staring for the man, and then he sighed and nodded.

"He brought us supplies. Toiletries, batteries, water, medicine… Things we need but have trouble getting."

"He helped you." Logan said. "Now you can return the favor."

"Please… help us." Reid implored. "We find him and we can shut these guys down for good." Jacob was still for a long time, then turned and hissed. Thunder approached.

"Bring Alana." He said softly, and Thunder nodded and walked away. "We will help. We gave Gambit information, but… we didn't tell him everything. He said he was passing the information on to a contact he had in the FBI. We didn't want anything to do with that."

"The FBI can't help unless you come forward." Reid argued weakly.

"We come forward and our lives are over. Our only chance of a life is to stay hidden."

"Not everyone in the Bureau is like that, Jacob." Reid sighed, sadly.

"And how would you know?"

"That's not important right now." Logan interjected. Reid drooped. They all were silent for a moment, then looked up when Thunder returned with a frail wisp of a girl. She sat down beside Jacob and eyed the two strangers, clutching tightly to a piece of paper.

"Gambit has been taken by the killers." Jacob said, getting straight to the point. "These gentlemen want to rescue him, but they need help. I want you to tell them everything."

She turned from Jacob and looked at the two men before her, then sighed and nodded.

"I am called Ghostling." She said, her voice eerily distant and ethereal. "My main ability is Astral Projection." She paused, opened and closer her mouth a few times, and then said, "Three weeks ago… they killed my best friend."

"Natalie Ochenski?"

"… Yes." She nodded. "They took her, right in front of me. They threw her into a light brown van and… I couldn't keep up. But my spirit could. I Projected. And I followed."

"You know where they are?!" Logan blurted.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "I could only follow so far." And she offered the paper she had been clutching. Reid accepted it and unfolded it. It was a map. The girl pointed. "That's where they took her. And that is where I lost them." Reid and Logan studied the map carefully, and then Reid looked up.

"Thank you, Alana. That is helpful. Can I… take this with me?" The girl nodded, and Reid looked at Jacob. "Thank you. Thank you so much…"

"Just stop them," Jacob commanded.

"We will." Logan snarled, rising to his feet. "They've killed their last mutant."

* * *

The team looked up when Spencer and Logan returned at nearly six in the evening.

"Where the hell have you been, Reid?!" Hotch demanded. "You didn't answer your phone!"

"Sorry. No service underground." Reid shrugged.

"Underground?"

"We have something." Reid said, ignoring the inquiry, and Hotch decided to drop it. "We met with a young mutant who was a friend of Natalie Ochenski. She witnessed the abduction and was able to follow the kidnappers for several miles."

"How?!" Morgan gasped.

"Astral Projection." Logan said. "She can project her soul outside of her body and travel around like a spirit. But she can't go too far. She was tugged back into her body after a while."

"Here's the map she gave us." Reid said, setting the map down on the table. "This is where Natalie was abducted, this is where she lost them."

"Did they know she was following them?" Hotch asked.

"No. Only a powerful psychic could have Seen her Projection." Reid said. "But… it gives us a direction." And he looked to Garcia. Hotch was already moving over to the Tech Analyst.

"They're going to need a remote place, Garcia. Where the victim's screams can't be heard." He said, and the woman winced.

As Hotch continued to talk Garcia through some search parameters, Reid looked up as Morgan laid a hand on his shoulder and jerked his head. Logan frowned, but Reid brushed his fingers over the man's arm as he got up to follow Morgan to the corner. A bit worried, he was startled to find the look of concern on his friend's face.

"You holdin' up okay, kid?"

"Best as I can…" Reid said slowly. "What do you want, Morgan."

"I… I just wanna know you're okay. We could all see something was off with you, even before your friend was taken."

"It's… hard to see the hatred that people have for others just because they're… different. And I knew that… I might have to reveal my own true nature."

"It's your biology, Reid." Morgan murmured. "And you're my best friend. You being a mutant isn't gonna change that."

"You're not freaked out?" Reid asked, hesitantly.

"… Tell me what your mutation is. Then I'll decide." Morgan said, and slowly, Reid grinned. Morgan mimicked the grin, pleased he had been able to draw that out in Reid. "We're gonna find your friend, Reid. I promise."

"I know." Reid nodded.

The team worked for another two and a half hours, then called it quits for the night with Hotch saying "Alright. We need to recharge. Let's go get some dinner and some rest."

"Guys?" Reid called softly, and they looked at him. "Can we get some takeout and head to the hotel. I think I… promised you some explanations."

Hotch studied Reid for a long moment, then nodded. "If you're sure you're comfortable. You don't have to tell the whole team. If you want, I can listen to what you have to say and we can decide together what the team should—"

"No." Reid said firmly. "You're my family. And… I'm sorry I didn't trust you with this. You all deserve to know."

"… Alright." Hotch nodded.

"Can you just bring something for me and Logan? I think we need to… lay some ground rules."

"Fine." Hotch nodded.

"What can we bring you, uh, Logan?" Garcia asked with a tentative smile. Logan hadn't exactly been a social butterfly. He focused on the information that Reid shared with him, and spoke to no one else.

Reid smiled and just scribbled on a piece of paper, and handed it to her. "We'll be fine with that." He said with a nod, and he and Logan left. No one tried to stop them when they took Logan and Remy's duffel bags. The team walked out a moment later, and all froze when a motorcycle roared past with two riders.

"Uh… Did I just see Reid…" Morgan said slowly, looking around at the others.

"… Yyyyup." Rossi nodded.

"Huh…" Hotch said, looking just as surprised.


	6. Chapter 6

Helios Rising

Spencer x Remy x Logan

Chapter Six 

* * *

At the hotel, Reid took a quick shower and then went to mentally prepare himself while Logan showered. The man stepped out and found Reid staring out the window.

"Ya know…" He said slowly, "Ya don't hafta tell them anything, darlin'."

"Yes, I do. And they deserve to know Logan. I'm fine telling them everything about me. But you and Remy… we're so… I… I want to make sure that I don't give them more than you want them to know about you two."

"I trust yer judgement, pup. If I feel you're sayin' too much, I'll speak up."

"Promise?"

"Of course, Spencer." Logan rumbled, cocking his head. "Just leave the X-Men out of it. Fer now. Don't give their names, don't name the Xavier School… be… vague."

"Of course." Reid nodded, sighing when he was enveloped in the powerful, secure embrace, and he drew comfort from it, burying his face into Logan's damp hair. "… I love you, Logan."

"I know." Logan murmured. "And no matter what happens… even if things… don't end well…" He felt Reid tense in his arms and suck in a breath. "I'm not goin' anywhere. And I will never blame you. You and I… we're not gonna give up. We'll stay together. Grieve together. And together, we'll smile again. Because that's what Remy would want."

Reid choked back a sob, tightening his hold on Logan, and the man ran his hand up and down Reid's spine, a new firm confidence in his voice. "It ain't over yet. I'll move heaven and earth ta get him back. We'll bring him home. Alive. Ya understand me? We ain't givin' up on our Cajun, ya hear? We're getting him back. And these bastards are gonna pay."

Nothing else was said, because it was then that there was a knock on the door. Reid took a deep breath, closing the curtains and moving to sit against the headboard on the bed, crossing his ankles beneath him and steeling himself.

Logan opened the door, and immediately was met by Garcia, JJ and Emily giving him the elevator eyes… After all… he was only in a pair of navy blue pajama pants with silver strips up the sides. The rest of him was bare.

"Oh, be still my heart…" Garcia gasped, and Logan quirked a brow.

"Hey now… I think I'm getting' jealous here, Baby Girl." Morgan complained, though he looked amused.

"Enough." Hotch said and Logan snorted, turning and walking back into the room, settling next to Reid on the bed. Rossi sighed and shoved past the women, walking over and offering Reid the bag of takeout.

"Thanks, Dave." Reid said softly, opening it. The team made their way into Reid's room and began to settle. JJ and Garcia settled on each corner of the foot of the bed, JJ on Reid's side, the openly curious Garcia on Logan's. Hotch and Rossi sat at the little table, and Morgan and Emily took the little love seat. They all slowly unpacked their food and watched as Reid passed Logan a pair of chopsticks and a couple of cartons… when Morgan pulled out the beer, Logan looked straight at him and held up a hand. Morgan quirked a brow, but then smirked and chucked one over. Logan caught it with a practiced hand, and in the same move, popped the top off of the bottle and immediately took a heavy pull. Morgan, Rossi and Emily grinned, impressed at his dexterous, and obviously well practiced, move.

Reid just smiled slightly and shook his head, setting out the little container of pot stickers on the bed between them. Reid speared one on his fork and Logan plucked one up in the chopsticks with a practiced hand, muttering "Itadakimasu," under his breath.

At the team's confused looks, Reid grinned and said "Habit. Whenever he has chopsticks in his hands. He spent some time in Japan."

Accepting this easily, the team began to eat, giving Reid time to get something into his belly and collect his thoughts. About seven minutes later, he cleared his throat and set down his carton. Logan stopped eating as well, and everyone gave Reid their undivided attention. After a moment, he let out a nervous laugh, and looked at Logan.

"I don't know where to start." He admitted.

"How about," Hotch said in a calm tone, "at the beginning. With the manifestation of your mutant powers."

"Okay." Reid nodded, giving his boss a grateful smile. "I think that's a good place." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I was eighteen. I was working on my third PhD at CalTech and… I had just put my mom into…" He trailed off and the others just nodded in silent understanding. "I think that was the stressor that triggered it. When they took her away, I… I just felt so much guilt. I knew it was the right thing to do but I… I hated myself for it. It stormed that night. And I was alone in the house. The storm knocked out the power and, well… you all know how I feel about the dark. It was just all too much. I… I curled up in the corner of my room and just… broke down. Completely.

"It was pitch black except for the lightning and I was scared and completely alone and hating myself and… It was agony. That's when the… lights first appeared."

"The lights?" Emily asked.

"They… looked like… fireflies. They were around me, drifting, and the further they got from me the dimmer they got until they faded. I was shocked, and they disappeared. I looked for them, but couldn't find them. But I pulled myself together and went to find some candles or a flashlight, but mom had moved stuff. I was searching blind. And I remember getting upset again and… a light appeared. I followed it. It didn't lead me anywhere. It just… floated around. When I touched it, it suddenly got bigger and brighter until the whole room was lit and it felt… warm. And that's when I saw my eyes. In the mirror on the wall. And that's when it hit me. I was startled and the light disappeared, but I could see my own eyes glowing in the mirror and I knew. I was a mutant and my powers had just manifested."

He looked around. The team was hanging off of his every word. "I can create, control, and manipulate light." The iridescent color sparkled over his eyes as he held out his hand, and a tiny ball of light appeared on the tip of his index finger. Then it floated up into the air, growing larger and pulsing like the beat of a heart, its light soft and comforting.

Reid smiled when Garcia reached out to touch it. Her hand passed through it, but she smiled, saying "It's warm." The light split into six, and a little orb floated to each member of his team, and one by one, they reached out and touched it.

"That's cool…" Morgan breathed, looking amazed. Reid smiled, looking a lot less nervous now.

"That's only the tip of the iceberg, bub. He can do a lot more than that." Logan said, smiling with something akin to pride.

Reid's smile widened and the orbs exploded like silent fireworks, the fragments gently drifting down and fading before they hit the floor. "I can condense the light." Reid said, "into a more… substantial material. With it, I can create things both offensive and defensive. I can make a shield. A force field, I guess… and…"

"Condensed light can make a laser." Rossi said.

"Yes." Reid nodded. "I can do that." He held out his hand and made a fist as though holding something, and then a brilliant white light shot up out of his hand.

"Dude! You can make your own actual Lightsaber!" Garcia squealed, clapping in delight.

"Show them the wings." Logan said.

"Wings?!" JJ gasped.

Reid leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, took a deep breath, and the team's eyes widened as the air behind his back seemed to ripple and shimmer, and then transparent, paneled wings appeared, looking like a cross between a butterfly and a dragonfly's wings. They were luminous and iridescent, reflecting different colors as they moved.

"And you can… fly with those?" Hotch asked, slowly standing. He never took his wide eyes off of the wings.

"Yessir. I'm not the best flier, I don't really like it all that much, but… Yes."

"That's incredible, Reid." He said, slowly walking over. "May I?"

"Yeah." Reid nodded, watching as Hotch reached out and ran his fingers over his translucent wings. And then, the others were too. Reid turned away, a bit embarrassed, but was caught by Logan's blue eyes and smile. He looked very proud indeed, and Reid couldn't help but return the man's smile with one of his own.

When the team sat back down and Reid's wings faded away, he continued with the story.

"Anyway… I went back to school. And a few times, the lights would appear at night in my apartment. I was… amused. Until one day… one of my professors turned off the lights for a presentation and… this ball of light just… floated across the room. Everyone freaked. After that, I started sitting closer to the door, where the light from the hall came through, but there were a few more instances. Some people started saying they were Spirit Orbs and the rumor started going around that the room was haunted. It was during this time that Gideon was trying to talk me into joining the Bureau. But with my powers getting more and more out of control, like my eyes glowing one day in the bathroom, that wasn't an option. I was miserable. Because I really, REALLY wanted to do it.

"And then, one day, I was just sitting under a tree, moping, and… this guy came up to me. He said that he didn't know who I was and didn't care, but he knew I was mutant. He could sense it. And he put two and two together and asked me if I was causing the strange lights. He told me that one mutant on campus being exposed put all the mutants at risk, and I needed to get control fast. And he had no desire to help, he wanted to distance himself from me as much as possible, but he would prefer it if I didn't get busted. And he… gave me a business card and said it was someone who could help."

"I was pretty annoyed, and decided to take care of things myself. But then, I was in the library, someone startled me and… I caused a… a flashing like a strobe light. I had to run. To get out. I was so scared, I had never done anything like that before, and I could feel that my eyes were glowing and… I locked myself in my apartment and I… made the call…"

His eyes grew distant as he fell into the memory… 

* * *

Eighteen year old Spencer chewed his lip nervously as he listened to the phone ringing. His entire body was trembling. On the third ring, it was answered.

"Xavier Institute, Scott speaking." Came the pleasantly professional greeting. "… Hello?"

"Um… Hello." Reid mumbled.

"How can I help you?"

"I… I'm looking for a… Professor Charles Xavier?"

"May I ask who's calling?'

"I uh… he doesn't know me, but… I was told that he could… help me."

"I see… Hold please." And the line went quiet. Spencer paced as he waited. It seemed like hours passed before the line clicked and a warm, friendly voice said "Hello, this is Charles Xavier."

"Um… I… Uh…"

"What's your name, my young friend?" The voice prodded, gently.

"My name is Spencer. And… I was told you might be able to help me."

"What can I do?"

"I… I dunno, I…"

"Spencer?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to ask you a question. And I want you to answer honestly. Alright?"

"Okay…"

"Are you a mutant, son?"

"… Yes." Spencer whispered, closing his ears and feeling tears falling down his face. "And I… I can't… I don't…"

"Spencer. I can help you."

"You don't even know what my problem is…"

Spencer didn't know it at the time, but Xavier had been relieved and pleased at that statement… It told him that Spencer didn't see being a mutant as a problem. That crucial battle did not need to be fought.

"I'm going to take a guess, Spencer." The telepath said with a smile that Spencer could hear. "You need help getting your abilities under control."

"… Yes."

"Then you're in luck. I am the head of a school, Spencer. A school for unique young people like yourself, with incredible gifts."

"A… a school for mutants?"

"Yes, Spencer. One of our most important functions is to teach you to control your talents. And if this is what you want, I will gladly help you."

The relief that filled Spencer was overwhelming… 

* * *

Reid looked around at his team. They were all listening very closely. He smiled slightly. "Within a week of graduating, I was on a plane, and on my way to the school." He said, though he didn't tell them where the school was, or what it was called, just as he had left out the name of the man he had spoken with on the phone, just calling him 'The Professor'.

Garcia was looking delighted, like she was hearing an exceptionally good bedtime story. JJ was smiling, seeing Reid smiling. She reached out and put her hand on his ankle, communicating love and support. Rossi was leaning back and sipping on one of the beers that had been passed around.

Hotch was listening with rapt attention, but even he seemed relaxed as he listened. Morgan had his arm across the back of the sofa, letting Prentiss lean into him as the two enjoyed their own beers. And beside him, Logan was a pillar of strength. When Reid's consciousness reached out, it was met with love, pride and support. God, he only wished Remy could be here.

"Of course, things didn't go as smoothly as they could have…" Reid admitted, and Logan grinned, taking a pull at his beer…


	7. Chapter 7

_Spencer's Story Continues…_

Spencer Reid watched the cab pull away, then turned and stared up at the large iron gates before him. There were lamps on either pillar on each side, illuminating the large X on top of the gate, and the bronze sign bolted to the wall beside the gate, reading "XAVIER INSTITUTE OF HIGHER LEARNING'. With a deep breath, the eighteen year old approached the call box and pushed the button. He waited for an answer. But it never came. He pushed it again.

"Hello?" He called. Slowly, his heart dropped. It was late. Much later than he should have arrived. It seemed that no one was awake to let him in. And so, he resigned himself to waiting until morning. After all… his cab was gone and he had no cell phone…

The night was quiet and the road was dark, save for a single pair of headlights. It was a jeep with two men in it. One was smoking a cigar, the other a cigarette. The driver had a smirk as his passenger did a sensual, yet silly little dance in the passenger seat as he sang along to the radio.

"—Only when I stop to think about it… I hate everything about you! Why do I love you?! I hate everything about you! Why do I love you?! Only when I start to think about you I know. Only when you start to think about me do you know…"

"Gumbo…"

"I hate everything about you!"

"Gumbo."

"Why do I love you?!"

"Cajun!"

"You hate everything about me!"

"I'm getting there, swamp rat!"

"Why do you love me?!"

"REMY!" The driver roared, now shutting off the music.

"Awwww… Wha's wrong, Logan? Y' not enjoy Remy's singin'?"

"No, not really." Logan snorted. "But we're almost home, we're not gonna wake the kids with your wailing that can rival Banshee."

"… Ouch." Remy pouted, slumping back in his seat, flicking from ash off the end of his cigarette and crossing his arms. "_Couillon_..._" _Logan chuckled, pulling up to the front gate and stopping, reaching out to the security box to punch in the access code. But two punches in, and he stopped. He turned his head and sniffed.

Remy watched him, and then began to look around himself, trusting Logan's nose. "… Over dere." He murmured, unbuckling his seatbelt and putting his cigarette out in Logan's ashtray, Logan's cigar immediately following. Then Remy slid from the car, his drunken stumbling from half an a hour ago gone and replaced by a stealthy grace. Logan hopped out of the car and walked around, eyes looking for what Remy had seen. The Cajun was approaching a dark heap against the wall, playing cards already in his hand. Logan frowned and bared his claws.

"Hey. Who are you?!" He growled. The figure on the ground stirred with a mumble, and raised his head. He stared up at the pair for a moment, then gasped and threw himself to his feet and plastered himself to the wall, eyes on the glowing card in Remy's hand and the gleaming claws on Logan.

"G-Get away!" He cried, stumbling away.

"Hey. Hold on kid, we—" Logan started, but Reid, in a panic, threw his hands out.

"GET BACK!" He screamed, and in a split second his eyes blazed white and a massively bright white light flared up.

"AAAH!" Remy howled, stumbling back as he was not only blinded by the light, but his photosensitive eyes meant that a sharp, stabbing pain had gone straight into the center of his brain. "_Merde!_" And then there were explosions; he had dropped his cards, and was blasted back a good twenty feet.

Snarling, Logan blinked his eyes but only saw bright spots. But his other senses were fine. He heard the boy's frantic movements, and pounced. The boy cried as he was tackled to the ground.

"Don't!" He cried. "Please, I'm sorry! I… please don't hurt me! Please!"

"Easy kid…" Logan growled, smelling the fear on the stranger. "Relax… I ain't gonna hurtcha unless ya make me... Now… who are you and what're ya doin' here?!"

"I… I… M-My name is S-Spencer Reid… I… I'm supposed to… I was supposed to be here this afternoon but my plane was delayed and when I got here the gates were closed and no one was answering and-"

"Ya called up ta the house?"

"… Yessir!"

"No one answered?"

"No sir."

"… Someone's fuckin' asleep for their security detail…" Logan growled. "You a new student?"

"I… I guess…" Reid whispered, and then Logan released him and hauled him to his feet. Reid stumbled and stared at the man before him. Reid was taller, but the man was intimidating as hell, looking him over and… sniffing him?

"The name's Logan." The man said. "Come on. Let's get ya inside. Can't leave ya sleeping out here. Sorry about the rude welcome, but… we can't be too careful."

"Understood." Reid nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. "I'm sorry, too. You startled me and I… I'm here because, well… I can't control my…"

"Trust me, kid. Most of the mutants who come here have trouble controlling their powers. It's not the first time I've had my ass blasted and it won't be the last. And speaking of getting yer ass blasted… Cajun! Where are ya?!"

"… Star gazin'…" Came the groan from the brush on the other side of the road. Logan sighed and stalked over, disappearing into the darkness. Reid blinked as he heard some rustling, cursing and then Logan emerged, a tall man stumbling after him. Then he tripped and almost went down… he would have if Logan hadn't caught him.

"What's yer problem, Gumbo?"

"Can't see!" The man cried, blinking his eyes rapidly and staring around. "D' kid blinded me! Seein' stars an' spots an'…"

"Damn." Logan sighed.

"I blinded him?!" Reid nearly shrieked, looking terrified.

"No, no…" Logan sighed, trying to keep Remy upright and the kid from panicking. "His eyes are a bit more sensitive ta the light than others. He'll be fine. He'll just take longer ta recover from that… high powered spotlight treatment ya gave us."

"I… I am SO sorry…"

"It's alright, pup." Logan said, getting Remy into the car and then tossing Reid's bag into the trunk area. "Like I said. There are a lot of power mishaps around here. Get in." Reid blinked then scrambled into the back of the jeep as Logan punched in the security code and the gate swung open. When they got to the front of the house, Logan stopped the car.

"Kid… Spencer, right?"

"Yes."

"Why don't ya help the Cajun inside. He can give ya directions to his room. I gotta take the car ta the garage and then rip someone a new one fer not payin' attention ta the front gate."

"Um… okay…" Reid said softly, clamoring out of the car in a less than graceful fashion and shouldering his bag. He reached out tentatively to the "Cajun" and placed a hand on his arm. The man turned his head in his direction, looking a bit put out. But then his face softened.

"Ain't no reason t' be scared, _homme_." He said. "Ain't gonna hurt y, me." Reid blinked, then nodded, before awkwardly clearing his throat and mumbling "right…" He guided the man up the stairs, and watched him pull some keys out of his pocket.

"Brass color on d' keychain wit' d' X on it."

"Okay." Reid mumbled, and unlocked the front door.

"Welcome to d' Xavier School." The man said as they stepped inside. "Lock d' door b'hind us." Reid did as he was told. "M' name's Remy. Remy LeBeau."

"Spencer Reid… I… I'm sorry about uh…"

"S'okay, _cher_! Happens! Logan's right. Ol' Remy be fine in d' mornin'. We goin up t' de t'ird floor." Remy said, and allowed Reid to guide him to the stairs, and begin the climb.

"Remy?" They both raised their heads at the call. "Are you alright?"

"Hey, Jeannie." Remy grinned, and Reid watched the red headed woman in a yellow nightgown come running down the stairs.

"What happened?!" She gasped. "Who is this?"

Reid tensed as he felt a strange pressure in his head, and he gave her a nervous look. A moment later and the sensation faded, and the woman was looking surprised and suspicious.

"Stop scarin' d' boy, Jeannie." Remy scolded with a smile. "Dis' here's Spencer Reid."

"Oh! You're the young man we were expecting!" Jean gasped. "I'm so glad you made it… we were getting worried."

"My plane was delayed. I'm guessing that you're Miss Grey?"

"I am. But enough dodging. What happened?!"

"SOMEONE was slacking on the job." Came a growl from below, and they all turned as Logan climbed the stairs. "Bobby was too busy with his video game thing and had his headphones in. Didn't hear when the kid buzzed at the gate. He's been out there for four hours."

Jean was looking annoyed now. "I'll let Scott know." She sighed.

"We kinda scared d' boy when we woke 'im." Remy explained, allowing Spencer and Jean to guide him. "Blasted us with a blindin' light that left Remy, well… BLIND." Jean noted the agonized expression on Reid's face, but Remy spoke up. "I can feel d' guilt from 'ere, _cher_. Remy done tol' y', it's alrigh'. Be fine in d' mornin', me."

"Well… the students are all asleep." Jean said softly. "Logan can take Remy from here. Spencer, come on. I'll get you a place to stay."

"… Uhg. Come on, Swamp Rat." Logan groaned and dragged Remy up the stairs, making the man trip more than once.

"Why you always so mean t' po' Remy?!"

"Those two are impossible." Jean sighed with a smile. "But I guess this time, I'm glad they were out drinking. If they hadn't been, you would have been out there all night. Come on." He followed her up the stairs after the two men, but while they headed right, she took him left. "We have a few empty rooms down here. You can stay in this one." And she opened one of the doors. "Everything is stocked. Take a shower, get some rest. Breakfast is at eight, but feel free to sleep yourself out. We'll talk when you get up." And she left Spencer to himself.

It was noon when he woke. At first he was mortified, but then reminded himself that he had gone from the west coast to the east, so that wasn't THAT surprising. He rose and dressed, and made his way out into the hall. And to his surprise, as he reached the stairs, so did Remy. He was wearing sunglasses, making Reid flinch.

"Felt 'dat." Remy grumbled, raising his head. Reid looked startled. "A bit photosensitive, me. Wearin' shades indoors is normal fo' Remy. Don't worry none, I can see fine 'dis mornin'. No lastin' damage. Other dan de slight hangover." And he grinned.

"… Good to hear." Reid said softly. Remy sauntered over, eyeing him up and down.

"An' now ol' Remy can greet y' proper." He held out his hand. "Good t' meet y', Spencer Reid." He cocked his head when Reid hesitated, then dropped his hand. "Don't like bein' touched." Remy observed. "Mutant t'ing, or…?"

"Um… just me." Reid mumbled.

"Don't go feelin' ashamed now…" Remy sighed, wincing. "_Cher, _you gon' give Remy a headache!"

"I'm sorry…" Reid drooped, and Remy shook his head.

"C'mon now…" And when Reid fell in line beside him, he said "I can sense emotions. D' people aroun' me. But you got some strong ones. Feel y' more 'dan I do t'others, me. I sense everyt'ing you're feelin'… hell, y' be projectin' dem, _cher_! Guilt over blindin' me, scared of y'self and y' powers, nervous at d' idea of bein' touched. Hell… y' scared of goin' downstairs and actually meetin' people. Y' got a lot o' hurt in you, _petit_. Remy don' like it."

"I'm sorry…"

"Not'in' t' be apologizin' for, _cher_. Not somet'in' y' can help. But maybe we can help y', here."

"That's why I came." Reid admitted.

"Well… let's get somet'in' in y' belly, 'den we go see d' Professor, _oui_?"

"Okay…" Reid said softly, and allowed the other man to lead him to the kitchen. There was a pot on the stove and Remy wandered over and lifted the lid.

"Look like chili f' lunch."

"Frito Pie, sugah!" A woman announced, walking in. Reid eyed her. She was pretty enough, with an interesting shock of white hair nestled in with the chocolate brown.

"Well hey dere!" Remy greeted with a grin.

"Hey y'self, Remy." The woman said, giving him a saucy wink. "Who's the new guy?"

"Spencer, 'dis be Rogue. Rogue, Spencer. He come f' help wit' 'is powers."

"Well, ya came to the right place, honey." Rogue announced, putting a handful of fritos in a bowl and spooning a ladle full of chili on it, and then sprinkling on some shredded cheese. "Ya like onions? Sour cream?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess, but I can—"

"Here ya go! Dig in. Yer all skin and bones!" Rogue announced, sprinkling on the green onions, putting a dollop of sour cream on top and then shoving the bowl into Reid's hands.

"Oh. Um… thanks." Reid mumbled and moved to the kitchen table. Rogue and Remy joined him a moment later, not even blinking when with an explosion of black and blue smoke, a dark blue furry creature appeared in the kitchen. Reid jumped, eyes wide, and watched this thing help himself to his own bowl. Then he trotted over and pulled out a chair with a long, prehensile tail, and sat down, bowing his head and praying under his breath, Crossing himself, and then picked up his fork with his tail.

"Spencer… This is Kurt." Rogue said with a smile, as Remy's mouth was stuffed. "Kurt, this is the new kid, Spencer."

"A pleasure to meet you!" Kurt said in a thick accent and smiling brightly. "Alvays good to see new faces!"

"… Wow." Reid blurted, then stiffened, looking horrified. Remy and Rogue exchanged amused looks, and Kurt chuckled.

"It's alright." He said.

"I'm sorry… I… I didn't know I was a… mutant until a couple of months ago." Reid admitted. "And… I've never been around other mutants. I've only seen someone with a physical mutation a few times, but… never one quite as… extreme as yours."

"Understandable." Kurt nodded.

"Y'll get used t' it, _cher_." Remy told Spencer. "Lotsa mutants 'round here wit' some pretty extreme mutations." And he slid his sun glasses down to stare Reid directly in the eyes as Rogue and Kurt nodded in agreement. Spencer's eyes widened. He had been too nervous to look the man in the eyes last night, and now he felt himself unable to look away… His irises were a vivid, smoldering red and the whites of his eyes, well… weren't white. They were black as obsidian…

They all looked up when four tween boys scuttled into the kitchen, laughing and shushing each other. They skidded to a stop and froze when they saw that the kitchen wasn't empty. Rogue gave them a look. The tallest had mocha skin, pale green eyes and chocolate brown dreadlocks that fell to his shoulders. The next tallest, beside him, was the most striking in regards to a physical mutation. He had long, wild hair that fell down to his knees. It, like his eyes, were a very violent shade of orange. What struck Reid most was that he wore a strange, blinking collar and bracelets. Before him was a small boy, obviously Native American, with a long black braid and eyes of a solid, shimmering silver, pools of liquid mercury. The last boy, who was giving them a sheepish grin, had Roman features, but an Asian slant to his eyes. He had long, wavy black hair and vivid gold eyes.

"Uh… Hi?"

"Hi yourself." Rogue said in a less that pleased tone. "Aren't you boys supposed to be in class?"

The answer she got from the orange haired kid was a resounding "… Maybe?"

"Adam Corey." She snapped, rising from her seat. "You and your partners in crime get back to class right now!"

"We just wanted a snack…" Whined the tallest.

"Noah! Lunch is in an hour!" Rogue reminded. "Now, GIT!" And the four boys ran. Rogue sighed and sat down, shaking her head. "Those four…"

"Usually it's five, _non_?" Remy asked with a grin.

"Yeah." Rogue sighed. "But Seth has the flu."

Kurt grinned at Reid. "Michael, Noah, Seth, Caleb and Adam are good boys. But zey cause trouble. Lots of trouble. Much like our Cajun friend, no?" And he and Rogue grinned at Remy, who scoffed.

Then, Spencer felt it… that strange pressure in his skull. He frowned and looked around, then winced and rubbed his temple. After a moment, it disappeared again.

"Hey… you okay?" Rogue asked.

"Uh… Yeah. Just… felt funny."

"Y' had dat same emotion last night." Remy said. "When we met Jeannie. She talkin' t' ya?"

"Huh?"

"Jean's a telepath." Rogue said. "Is she talking to you?"

"I… if she was, I don't understand her." Reid said. He looked over at Remy. The man had a distant look on his face, then he blinked and looked at Reid.

"She been lookin' f' you. Better finish up." And he scarfed down the rest of his lunch and went to put his bowl in the sink.

"Cajun, if you leave that dish there…" Rogue cried in a warning tone.

"Gotta get the _petit_ to d' Professor, Roguey! You take care of it fo' me? _Merci beaucoup!"_ And he plunked Spencer's bowl into the sink and dragged the boy from the room, grinning at Rogue's cursing.

"Are you and she…?"

"Off an' on." Remy grinned. "But… we off now. Not sure I wanna be on wit' d' _femme_ again. I care f' her, but…" He sighed. "Jus' gotta face it… we prolly more bad f' eachother 'dan good. Bes' we just stay friends… B'sides… Ol' Remy getting' pretty close wit' some one else. Ain't official, but we…" He trailed off, smiling slightly. Reid couldn't help but grin at the smitten look on Remy's face.

"Wow. That special, huh?"

"Known him a long time now. Prolly one of 'd only people on dis earth 'dat Remy can truly call _mon ami_." He paused at a door and knocked.

"Come in, Remy!" Called a voice that Spencer recognized. It was the man he had spoken with on the phone; Professor Charles Xavier.

Remy pushed open the door and stepped in. "Mornin' Professor."

"It's almost one, Cajun." Came another familiar voice. Reid turned and smiled at Logan, who was perched on the windowsill to the side of the office. The man nodded at Spencer. "You look a lot better today, kid."

"Sleep 'n a proper bed can do 'dat." Remy pointed out, sauntering over to one of the arm chairs by the fire place that was not lit. He dropped into it, leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee, liking the vantage point; he could see everyone in the room, and every door and window.

"Good morning, Spencer." Jean smiled. "This is my husband, Scott."

The man with the red hair and strange glasses smiled and offered his hand. Reid flinched, and just gave him a little wave.

"Please sit down, Spencer." Xavier said kindly, and Reid did as he was told, sitting in one of the chairs before the desk. Jean sat on the side of Xavier's desk, and Scott stood behind her at the corner of it.

"So… You've come here for help with your mutant powers."

"Yessir." Reid nodded.

"Why don't you tell us about them? When did they first appear?"

"A few months ago." Reid said.

"… That late?" Scott asked. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen, sir."

"That is rather old…" Xavier said, cocking his head. "Tell us about them."

"I… well… I don't really know WHAT they are."

"Tell us about when they manifested." Jean said gently.

"… it uh. It was in October." Reid sighed, drooping. Remy flinched as the pain, sadness, depression and guilt rolled off of Spencer in waves. His eyes glazed over as a questioning touch intruded upon his mind. He allows Charles Xavier in, to feel what he was feeling from Spencer.

"My… my mom is sick. Mentally. When I turned eighteen, I… I had her hospitalized." He had his head bowed and wouldn't look at anyone. "I had to stay the night in the house… before I went back to CalTech. It was empty. I was all alone. There was a big storm that knocked out the power and… I… I don't like the dark. I was in a bad place. I was in the dark, all alone, and I… I felt so horrible for… essentially locking my mom up."

"You were in a state of incredible stress." Xavier clarified.

"Yes. And… that's when the lights appeared."

"Lights?"

"Yes. That's what has been happening. Balls of light. Little flashes."

"That flash last night wasn't little." Logan snorted.

"I had… never done that before." Reid admitted.

"What is the light?" Xavier asked.

"I dunno… just… just light." Reid shrugged.

"We'll see if you can demonstrate for us in a bit." Scott said.

"I've never done it intentionally." Reid admitted.

"Don't worry about that." Jean said with a smile. "What about your psychic abilities?"

"My… I'm sorry… my what?!" Reid asked, confused. Jean blinked in surprise, and glanced at the Professor.

"I've tried to touch your mind twice now." She said. "Your shields are… powerful. Too powerful for someone who doesn't have psychic abilities."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Reid said slowly.

"Spencer…" Xavier said carefully. "I'd like to try to read your mind. I promise you, it won't hurt." He added, seeing Reid's alarmed look. "Do I have your permission?"

"… Yes." Reid sighed. Xavier gave him a nod, and focused. Everyone watched silently. Reid blinked. He blinked again. The Professor frowned slightly and Reid winced, lifting a hand to his forehead. The professor's eyes narrowed, and then he sighed and closed them. Reid grimaced, looking mildly uncomfortable, and Xavier's hands slowly curled into fists. And then, after what felt like an eternity, he let out a deep, whooshing breath and shook his head, panting "I can't… I cannot get past his shields." Everyone looked shocked. Reid looked around at them.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"I tried with all my strength." Xavier said. "That means you have some of the most powerful mental shields I have ever seen. Spencer… was there ever a time when you suddenly changed. When it suddenly seemed like the world had gone quiet?"

No one missed the frown, followed by the sudden look of shock.

"How old were you?" Xavier asked.

"… Twelve."

"Were you under stress?" Xavier asked. Slowly, Reid nodded. "Will you tell me what happened?"

"… I… I was in the library." Reid murmured. "Harper Hilman came up to me and told me that Alexa Lisbon wanted to meet me behind the fieldhouse. I… I should have known better. Something didn't feel right. SHE didn't feel right. When we got there… Alexa wasn't alone. The… The whole football team was there. I was a senior in highschool, so they were all… so much bigger than me. I tried to get away but they… they beat me up, and then they…" He trailed off for a moment, swallowing a lump in his throat and wetting his lips as he wrapped his arms around himself in a protective manner, wincing at the low growl that was coming from Logan's direction. "They stripped me naked and tied me to the goalpost. In front of so many kids… I begged someone to help, but they all just stood there. Laughed. It was almost as though I could feel them… their… sadistic amusement. Their revulsion towards me. This sense that I was getting what I deserved… And their shouts and taunts weren't just in my ears, but it was like they were… inside of my head, too! And… and I was crying and then, suddenly, I felt hot and just… went numb. All that was gone. And it was just me, in my own head. I… disassociated I guess. In some… psychological self defense or something."

"Were things different for you after that?" Xavier asked.

"… I was… alone. More than ever. I closed myself off. I didn't even try to make friends anymore. I ignored… everyone around me…"

"You began to build up your shields." Jean translated. Slowly, Reid looked up at her. "Your psychic powers manifested that day. But instead of using them in an offensive manner, to fight them off, you used them defensively to protect yourself."

"And it sounds like you've been unconsciously building and strengthening them ever since." Xavier nodded.

"_Merde!_" Reid jumped and everyone turned when Remy abruptly rose and stormed over to a window, staring outside.

"Remy?" Scott asked, annoyed.

"It ain't righ'!" Remy blurted. "A pack o' high school jocks doin' 'dat t' a child!" He shook his head. "At leas' tell m' dey got what dey deserved…"

"… I never told anyone." Reid said softly.

"What?!" Remy gasped, whirling.

"I never told anyone." Reid repeated.

"… Y' didn't report it?!"

"No."

"What about y' parents?!"

"… My mom is schizophrenic. She didn't even realize I was late."

"An' y' papa?!"

"… Left when I was ten."

"_Merde…_"

"… Nice goin', Cajun." Logan snorted.

"It's okay. It was eight years ago." Reid said softly.

"Well…" Xavier said, and Reid watched as the man came around his desk in a wheelchair. "Why don't we head downstairs and see what you can do…"

Reid paused in his story now to eat another pot sticker and finished off his coffee. Logan smirked.

"Kid wasn't too good at first." He said. "Kept unintentionally using his powers, but when he tried he didn't get anything. It was frustrating, but pretty damn funny when he accidentally set off light shows at dinner or something."

"It was not."

"It was funny from where I was sittin', darlin'." Logan debated, and Reid rolled his eyes while the others just looked amused. Logan continued. "Took a couple of weeks before we finally made progress, but all it took was one breakthrough and the kid was on the fast track to controlling, and expanding his abilities."

"Sounds about right." Hotch said lightly, and gave Reid a smile and wink, making the genius grin.

"What about his psychic powers?" Garcia asked.

"That's an interesting one, too." Logan nodded. "After a couple of months, we talked him into letting us really test his shields. He sat down with our psychics. All of them powerful telepaths… the Professor, of course, and Jean, and also Emma and Betsy. They were locked in that room for nearly three hours. When they came out… well…" Logan shrugged and finished off his beer. "The four of them had combined their efforts, but they couldn't make a dent in Spencer's mental shields. After a few more weeks of examining his shields, a conclusion was reached. Spencer is a powerful psychic. He could be the most powerful in the world. But all of his psychic ability has been thrown into his shields. He learned to expand them. He can shield minds around him. But that's all he can do. If he were anyone other than who he is… he could be able to cause devastating offensive psychic attacks if he wanted. But… he doesn't want to…"

"The idea of attacking someone's mind…" Reid said slowly, frowning and shaking his head. "I refuse to even try. That just… It's not right."

"And at this point, after all this time, we're not even sure if he could." Logan shrugged.

"But he could do other things, maybe?" Garcia suggested.

"… I can." Reid admitted softly. "Eventually, something did happen. Something I didn't do intentionally, but…" He trailed off.

"What was it?" Emily asked.

"… We found out what KIND of psychic I am… I'm a telepath. But with… very narrow restrictions…" Reid said.

"And those are?" Rossi asked.

"Logan and Remy." Reid said. "I established a telepathic link with them. And only them."

The team didn't hide their looks of surprise.

"How?" Morgan asked. Reid blushed and averted his eyes, and Logan smirked. But Reid sighed and said "well... we... got together." And he launched into the story...


	8. Chapter 8

Spencer Reid had been at the Xavier School for the gifted for three months. In that time, he had learned a lot. He had originally come to learn to control his powers. He was well on his way. But there was something else he had learned that he had never expected to learn… he had learned how to have friends again. And this was what meant the most to him. The students, the teachers, the X-Men… They were all wonderful. But out of everyone, the most wonderful had been Remy and Logan. Perhaps they had felt responsible for him because they were the ones who had found him sleeping outside the front gate. Of course, if Reid were honest, it was because Remy had been determined to change the emotions he felt from the younger man. Remy did everything he could to replace the loneliness, the sadness, the guilt and the fear with warmth, happiness and confidence. It was amazing, how quickly he could get Reid to relax, to smile, to laugh…

It wasn't long before Reid found himself hunting down Remy, instead of waiting for Remy to come to him. He craved the joy that came from being in the Cajun's company. And he soon learned that frequently, where one could find Remy, one could find Logan… It didn't take long for the genius to figure out that Logan was the one that Remy was head over heels in love with, and he could tell that Logan felt for Remy, but the pair of them were both too scared to make the first move. It was infuriatingly funny. More than once, Reid had hissed "tell him!" to Remy, only for the man to threaten his life. Which made the situation even more hysterical in Reid's opinion.

The two X-Men had virtually taken over Reid's training in controlling his mutant powers. Remy helped him get creative with it, and with his help, he learned just how diverse his power was. How much it could do. He could use it to create more than just the pixie lights that quickly earned him the infuriating nickname "Nightlight" from Remy… he could make tangible shields with it, reinforced with his own psychic shields, strong enough to protect him from Remy's charged cards. He learned to create his wings that could actually carry him in flight. And he learned to create the laser weapons… Remy taught him to throw little light bolt shuriken with accuracy, and helped him learn to sustain the weapon. He learned to wield them all the way from a tiny shard at his fingertip to help him pick or utterly destroy a lock, all the way up to what Reid had laughingly named his "Lightsaber".

Logan firmly insisted that Spencer learn to use his powers offensively and defensively in a fight. One afternoon, Logan had unsheathed his claws, and Reid, in a playful teasing mood thanks to Remy, mimicked Logan's pose, and laser claws appeared on his hands. Logan had looked beyond startled at that, and Remy had completely lost his balance and fell over, he was laughing so hard. His laughter brought several others in the sublevels running to see what had their Cajun literally rolling on the floor in tears, and upon seeing Reid's "claws" and the look on Logan's face, Scott, Hank, Rogue, Jubilee and Warren all joined in.

Logan had growled a few creative threats at them and then tackled Reid, not about to let the boy get out of his training. Of course, Logan wasn't the only victim of Reid's sass… Only a week later, Remy was heading upstairs after getting his ass chewed out by Scott for skipping on a Danger Room session. When he approached his room, he heard voices in Logan's room next door… and it sounded like… Spencer… talking with a… Cajun accent… the little shit was impersonating him! And Logan was laughing!

Ready to mess with the kid, Remy schooled his features into a scowl and pushed open the door. But his scowl vanished as his eyes widened in surprise and his mouth fell open. Spencer Reid was not only sporting a Cajun accent, but was wearing Remy's trench coat and… was holding up four little playing cards MADE OF LIGHT, with dark holes in the middle where the spade, club, heart and diamond would be on the Aces.

Logan's eyes widened and he froze when he saw Remy, but then his chuckles turned to roaring laughter. Reid blinked at him, and then tensed.

"… he's right behind me, isn't he?" The boy asked, his tone miserable. The light cards faded and he slowly turned around. "Uh… hey Remy…?"

"… 'Dere somet'in' y' wanna tell m',_ cher_?" Remy asked. "Like… why y' wearin' Remy's coat?"

"Uhhh…" was all Reid managed to say as he slowly slipped out of it, and then, hanging his head guiltily, he handed it over. Remy accepted it, eying the younger man. "I uh… I was just… um…"

"Bein' a smartass?" Remy asked, smirking.

"Like you have room ta talk, Cajun…" Logan grinned, and Remy was unable to hold back his own snicker, and he gave a shrug. Reid just glanced up at Remy, looking beyond guilty.

"… Spencer…" Remy sighed, shaking his head. "Gon' take mo' dan dat to hurt m' feelins…" And he gripped the young man's shoulder and gave Logan a look. "'Bsides… y' accent wasn't bad! An' always good t' see ol' Wolvie doin' somet'in human. Like laugh."

"Shut it, Cajun." Logan snorted, though his blue eyes shone in amusement. Remy just smirked, and then tackled both Logan and Spencer in one leap, leading to a full wrestling match that Rogue had to come in and break up so that everyone else could get some sleep.

That was the first night the trio spent together. They stayed up late just talking and laughing, and playing poker; Remy and Reid were quite the competitors, were very evenly matched and took it very seriously. Logan just found them amusing. They woke in the morning sprawled all over Logan's bed with cards everywhere, and quiet content to laze about.

The whole house noticed the trio growing closer and closer every day. Soon, they were rarely seen apart, and they usually ended up staying the night in the same room, falling asleep before any of them were willing to leave. And as Reid watched, Logan and Remy got closer and closer. He readily encouraged it, eager to see them finally get together. He had no idea that everyone else could see what he couldn't… he was getting just as close to them, and they to him…

He also had no idea that he would be the catalyst to finally make things happen.

There was an Anti-Mutant rally happening in New York City. The X-Men made it their regular business to attend these in plainclothes, to silently watch and be ready to step in on the odd occasion that an innocent mutant stumbled on the crowd and found themselves in a bad situation… or, on the flip side, to stop any angry mutants who might try to attack the crowd. While Reid was NOT one of the X-Men, it had been decided that it would be good for him to go with team. Some of them hoped that Reid would join them some day, but they all knew of his ambition to be a profiler.

The rally had been uneventful, though a bit rough on Remy at first. That was the first time that Reid had extended his mental shields to protect another, from such a large volume of people, for such a prolonged period of time. But he did. For nearly three hours, he and Remy stood close beside one other, actually holding hands as both found that physical contact helped to keep the shields strong. For the first time, Remy had walked away from an Anti-Mutant Rally without feeling exhausted, and just damned sick.

Logan seemed pleased by this as he walked down the street with Reid and Remy, Remy in the middle. Neither noticed the feral mutant giving them uncharacteristically fond looks when he realized… they were still holding hands, and neither one seemed to notice it…

At the corner, they met up with Ororo, Rogue and Scott.

"You're looking pretty good, Remy." Scott immediately said, looking surprised, and pleased.

"Nightlight used 'is shields to keep Remy from bein'… poisoned by 'd atmosphere." Remy said with a smile and nod. Reid rolled his eyes. Before they had left, Scott insisted that Reid have a code name to go by if they needed to spring into action. Remy had immediately blurted "Nightlight!", and Scott had just nodded and continued with the briefing.

"Don't call me that." Reid sighed, and Remy grinned. They all turned when Bobby, Jubilee and Jean joined them.

"Can we go, Scott?" Jubilee asked immediately, nearly bouncing in anticipation.

"Go?" Reid asked.

"There's a mutant friendly club in town." Bobby grinned. "Sometimes, when these rallies go well, we go relax and celebrate."

"An' Remy don't get t' go much." Remy announced, grinning. "Usually don't feel good, me. Feelin' great t'day! Let's go, _mes amis_!"

"Well…" Scott said slowly, frowning and thinking.

"Come on, Scott." Jean said with a smile. "Hank, Kurt and Warren want to go, too."

"… Hank?"

"Well… he's willing to go to make the others happy." Jean admitted with a shrug and a grin.

"Alright." Scott sighed, smiling and putting his hands up.

"YES!" Jubilee, Bobby and Rogue all chorused, and led the charge. Ororo, Scott and Jean followed, and Remy, Logan and Spencer took up the rear.

"Place ain't bad." Remy was telling Reid. "Good music, good drinks, mos' of de folk dere are mutants, _mais_ not all o 'dem. Mos' go by codename in dere, just to be cautious. Never know who y' can trust, even in 'dat place. Strict rules against usin' y' powers inside in anyway 'dat could harm people an' property. 'Dey don't tolerate no one 'dat starts trouble. An' y' don't wanna mess wit' de security 'dere… So bes' y' behave."

"You just remindin' yerself, Cajun?" Logan teased with a smirk, and Remy grinned.

The walk was only about two miles, and the members of the group who had been so excited, and calmed considerably over that distance, were now excited again. Jubilee, Bobby and Rogue ran to the front doors, which were heavily guarded.

Smiling, Jean said "the others are already inside." Reid watched as Bobby, Jubilee and Rogue showed their ID's and proclaimed themselves mutants, and then Ororo, Scott and Jean followed suit, though they were merely waved in, the guy watching the door greeting them by name. He then turned and smiled, nodding and greeting them, "Gambit. Wolverine."

"Hey 'dere, Komodo." Remy answered, and Logan nodded. Reid eyed the man, who was eying him… and then a long, black forked tongue darted out of the man's mouth, tasting Reid's scent on the air. Reid jumped and gasped, then smiled slightly and breathed out "Whoa…"

Grinning, Remy said "D' boy still gettin' used t' bein' round 'is own kind." Komodo let out a low, rumbling laugh.

"And does the boy have a name?"

"Nightlight!"

"I am NOT Nightlight!"

"Sunshine."

"Shut up, Logan." Reid snapped, glaring at the gruff mutant while Remy just laughed.

"So what's your name, boy?" Komodo asked, smirking. Reid stared at the man's claws, and finally noticed his thick, scaled tail, swaying lazily behind him.

"Uh… Helios." He finally said, lifting his eyes to meet the man's reptilian gaze. And then he smiled slightly and lifted his chin. "I'm Helios."

Remy and Logan studied him as they took in this name that Reid had chosen for himself, and then glanced at each other.

"Helios." Komodo nodded. "ID?" Reid blinked and scrambled for it, showing it to the man. He checked it and nodded, then picked up a neon green bracelet. "This identifies you as being under 21." He explained, putting it on Reid. "Behave yourself. I don't want to have to throw you out." And he waved Reid into the place.

Reid nodded and shuffled in after Logan and Remy, looking around the place. The first thing that struck him was all the mutants who were open about their physical mutations. Remy had removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket, his black and red eyes sweeping the club in interest before heading to the bar with Logan. Reid scuttled after them, staring around with wide eyes. Logan ordered a beer and Remy a bourbon. The bartender eyed Reid suspiciously, and Remy chuckled.

"D' boy is under age." Remy confirmed with a nod, and Reid sighed and showed his bracelet, then ordered a soda. Once they had collected their drinks, they headed over to a table that the others had snagged. It was early in the evening, so the place wasn't too busy yet. Reid sat down between Remy and Logan, looking nervous and jumpy.

"Nobody's gonna hurt you here, pup." Logan assured him.

"I know… I just… I don't like crowds…" Reid mumbled frowning when he noticed that the bartender had put a cherry in his soda. He began the task of excavating the prize through the ice with his straw.

"Gambit!" They all looked up when Rogue held out her hand, beaming. "C'mon, sugah! We ain't together, but that don't mean we can't dance!" Remy blinked, and then his face split into a grin. He clapped Reid on the back and stood, taking her hand and the pair spun out onto the dance floor, laughing. Reid glanced over at Logan to see his reaction… Logan was just smiling. A few minutes later and Scott and Jean headed to the dance floor, too. Jubilee and Kurt were dancing, and Bobby and Warren had found some partners… Bobby had one with electric blue hair that seemed to shimmer pink when it moved (Hank said she looked like she had stepped out of the Jem and the Holograms cartoon), and Warren was dancing with a woman who seemed to have a mane instead of hair, and hooves.

After a bit, Logan ended up at the pool tables with a very big, bulky mutant with bony armored plates down his back and tail, which ended with a large, heavy club-like growth, reminiscent of a dinosaur… especially with the bony spikes lining his jaw and the horns over his eyes… which he used to open beer bottles with, much to Logan's amused approval. Reid wasn't sure where Hank ended up, but he soon found himself alone at the table. He was okay with that. He relaxed and watched his friends. Ororo and Rogue were now laughing and clapping together as Remy had indulged Jubilee with a dance. She seemed delighted. The sight made Reid smile. He never even noticed his heart flutter as he watched Remy and Jubi- well… Remy…

"You been left out?" Reid jumped at the question. He turned and blinked up at the man who was sliding into the seat beside him… Logan's seat… He was about Reid's height, but had a more sturdy figure. He had tan skin, vivid copper colored hair and his iris were black… the pupil was a strange, glowing lime green color. He offered his hand, and Reid gripped his glass tighter. "I'm Delusion." He said, still holding out his hand.

"… That's reassuring." Reid blurted without thinking. The stranger's eyes widened, as did Reid's, and then Reid turned red. "I'm sorry! I… uhg…" And he put his head in his hands. Next to him, Delusion laughed.

"It's okay. No harm done. So… you new here?"

"Yeah…" Reid sighed.

"So… what do I call you?" Delusion asked, sidling closer. Reid frowned and scooted away.

"… Helios."

"Huh… what's that?"

"… Helios was the Greek God of the Sun." Reid answered.

"I thought that was Apollo."

"Apollo became the God of the Sun in the Roman pantheon when the Greek's ways were brought to Rome. They condensed a lot of gods into one package. The Moon Goddess, Selene, was combined with Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, who became the Roman's Diana. Just like how the Romans thought that the Goddess Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Defensive War Strategy, was not an appropriate designation for a woman, and made her Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom and Crafts, not a warrior. And then—"

"Whoa, there… slow down, kid." Delusion laughed, putting up his hand as a waitress came by. A moment later, and a beer was set down before him. Smiling, he offered it to Reid.

"Oh… I'm uh… I'm under age." Reid mumbled, showing his bracelet.

"I know." Delusion purred, sliding the beer towards him. Then, Reid felt the brush on his mind. Immediately his own eyes flashed and began to swirl with color.

"DON'T." He barked. "I don't know what your power is, but I can guess. And I'll tell you now. One of my powers is impervious mental shields." Delusion looked startled, then annoyed, and then he put on a shit eating smile.

"Sorry baby…" He crooned. "Just trying to help you relax a little. It's obvious you aren't comfortable in this place…" And then his hand was on Reid's knee and he was sliding closer. Reid's eyes widened and locked onto Delusion's eyes… and he was unable to look away as they glowed. "Why don't we… get out of here?"

"Don't…" He gasped, feeling an arm slid around him and draw him in closer. His fingers twitched and the colors in his eyes began to swirl faster, an alarmed orange coming more to the forefront. His mind was racing… what should he do?! He was so reluctant to use his powers… he hadn't done so outside of training yet, what would happen?!

"Wow… your eyes are amazing…" Delusion murmured, stroking a hand down Reid's cheek.

"Makin' friends, _cher_?" The sharp, biting question broke into the moment and Reid jerked away from Delusion, falling back against Remy, whose arms were immediately wrapped around him. The Cajun was glaring at Delusion, his hellish eyes blazing in a contained fury.

"We were, actually." Delusion said smoothly, though he looked none too pleased.

"Didn't look t' me like de boy was too happy wit' y. Suggest y' leave, _homme_."

"You his boyfriend?" Sneered Delusion.

"Don't see 'de relevance in 'dat."

"If you're not, then butt out." Delusion snapped, and then smirked, staring Remy in the eyes. "We were just having a conversation. No need for you to… rudely interfere."

"… M' apologies." Remy said suddenly in a hazy tone, his body going slack. "Wasn't meanin' t' intrude…" Reid gasped and seized Remy's hand, casting his shields around the man. Remy grunted and stumbled, grimacing and shaking his head. Then he raised his eyes, and they were glowing something fierce. Then, in a low, dangerous tone, he growled "Gambit don't like _connards_ like you gettin' in 'is head…" Delusion looked shocked, and then sent a look of anger at Reid. "… Get out." Remy snapped.

"I don't want to." Delusion snarled, fisting his hands. "And like I said. If you're NOT his boyfriend, then—"

"An' what if Gambit IS de boy's _amour_?" Remy shot back, suddenly curling an arm around Reid's waist and pulling him tight against his body. Reid gasped and his eyes widened and he felt his face turn red. He was horrified at the sudden warm feeling that filled him and caused his stomach to flutter.

"… Prove it!" Spat Delusion.

Shit… that was all Reid could think. And then there was a low, sensual chuckle in his ear that sent heat shooting straight to his loins, and he wanted to sink into the earth and disappear as the tingling spread through his groin and his inner thighs. Then there were fingers on his face, turning his head, and he found himself staring into those black and red eyes, unable to look away. He could feel the warm breath on his face, the smell of bourbon, and he whimpered as his body was held tightly against the other man. Dear God, their lips were only an inch apart when… he swooned.

The next thing he knew, he heard Logan growling and he was being dragged away from the table. The world was spinning, his heart was pounding and he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Then they were outside and stumbling down the street.

"Is he okay?!" Came the demanding question.

"Gettin' a lot offa de boy…" He heard Remy answer. "T'ink he was jus' overwhelmed, me. Here. Go get de car. Gambit gon' stay right here wit' de _petit._" And Reid heard feet running away. Then he was being lowered onto a bench and a hand on his back was forcing him to bend over. "Head b'tween y' knees, _cher_. Breathe." Reid vaguely nodded and began to take slow, deep breaths. Remy sat beside him the whole time. A few minutes later, and feet approached.

"What happened?!" Reid heard Scott demanding.

"Not sure, me." Remy responded. "Jus' keep y' distance, don't get too close. Let de boy have some air. Wolvie's on 'is way wit' de car. We gon' take 'im home. You guys go back t' de club. Ain't no reason fo' us all t' go. We just overwhelm de _petit _if we do."

"… You heard him." Scott said, and people were being herded away. "Call me when you find out what happened."

"Report 'dat _homme_ to Komodo, Scotty."

"Who?"

"… black an' green eyes. Gets in y' head."

"D-Delusion." Reid gasped. "Called himself…"

"I hear y', Spencer… he says de _homme_ called himself Delusion… Ah. I take it y' know 'im."

"I do. I'll handle him." Came Jeans's voice, sounding hard a cold. And then they were alone again. Shortly after, a car pulled up.

"Alrigh'… in we go." Remy said, helping Reid to his feet and into the car. Reid could feel that it was Logan driving and… wait… feel? How did he…? Nevermind… he would think on it later.

The next thing he knew, Remy and Logan were coaxing him out of the car. Before they got to the door, Betsy had opened it.

"Scott called ahead." She explained, Piotr and Kitty behind her. "How is he?"

"Still out of it." Logan growled.

"Do you need anything?"

"If we do, we'll let you know." Logan nodded, and followed Remy as the man tried to get Reid up the stairs. Reid seemed to move on autopilot, letting Remy steer him up the three floors and down the hall to his room.

"Let's get y' cleaned up…" Remy said, and Reid nodded, finally pulling away.

"I'm fine… I can do it." He said softly. Remy eyed him, then nodded and let him go.

When Reid emerged from the bathroom an hour later, showered and in his pajamas, he was much more coherent. He looked mildly surprised to see Remy and Logan in his room. There was a tray on his desk with a dome over it.

"Kitty brought some food up fo' us." Remy said gently.

"That was kind of her." Reid mumbled, and made his way over to his desk. Logan and Remy exchanged looks, and then slowly approached.

"… 'Dat Delusion really messed wit' y' head…" Remy said, his voice tense. "Wha'd he do?"

"Nothing. I… I just... I was startled and overwhelmed and scared and…"

"Y' seemed okay at firs'…" Remy said, and frowned, thinking through the encounter very carefully, sifting through the things he had picked up from Reid with his empathy, and then, suddenly, Logan watched Remy stiffen and his eyes widened. "Y' was worried. Confused. 'Den relieved when Remy stepped in. Until…" He turned, eyes wide. "Spencer… is 'dis b'cause Remy almost kissed y'?!"

"You WHAT?!" Logan yelped. Reid turned bright red and hid his face in his hands. Remy was immediately kneeling in front of him, trying to tug his hands away so he could look Reid in the eye. And when he did, his own eyes widened.

"_Dieu…_" He breathed. "Remy never meant t' upset, _cher… je suis desole…mais, _ y' didn't FEEL upset!"

Reid shook his head, gasping and refusing to make eye contact. Remy frowned, blatantly reading Reid's emotions… Remy couldn't probe inwards, thanks to Reid's shields, but Reid's shields only kept things OUT. Not IN. And the emotion was rolling off of him in thick waves. Remy struggled to sort through them. Reid was terrified, hating himself, worried for… Remy and Logan? Grieving for something… and then, Remy found it. Love… lust… desire… shock… hope. And anger at himself for feeling those.

"_Bon Dieu_…" He breathed, and turned and gave Logan a startled look of his own. Logan was looking worried. He reached out and gripped Reid's shoulder, and Reid gasped and shivered. Remy's eyes widened even more; they were threatening to pop out of his skull.

"Y' have feelins' f' Remy." He breathed, finally. "F' Logan… f' us bot'!"

"What?" Logan asked. Reid almost wailed, hiding his face in his hands again.

"An' y' didn't want us t' know…" Remy sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, _cher_… don' y' un'erstand? Remy known 'dat fo' weeks now. Could feel it comin' off y' whenever y' was close to either o' us. T'ought it was jus' a lil' crush, me. But it ain't. Is it?" Reid just shook his head, crying into his hands, refusing, or unable, to speak.

"Oh, darlin'…" Logan groaned, kneeling and firmly pulling Reid's hands away from his face.

"Don't be like 'dat." Remy said, wincing. "No reason to be feelin' shame like 'dat."

"But… but… you two… already love each other!" Reid blurted. And there it was. The cat was out of the bag. Slowly, Remy and Logan turned and looked at each other.

"What?!" Remy blurted, and Logan gave him a look.

"Empathy doesn't work on me, Cajun?" Logan asked, looking annoyingly smug. Remy glared.

"Y' don't exactly broadcast y' feelins' like Spencer!" Remy snapped, turning a bit red. Then he bowed his head and sighed, then forced himself to his feet. "Soun' like de t'ree of us need t' talk… Spencer. Y' take a few minutes t' calm down. I'm gon' go shower. Logan, you too. We meet back here in half an hour an' we… figure t'ings out."

"… I'll bring the booze." Logan sighed, and the pair left the room.

Half an hour later saw the three men sitting in a little circle on Reid's bed, drinks in their hands. Remy and Logan both had whiskey, Reid had some coffee with Bailey's. They had all just agreed on the ground rule… open honesty.

"How long y' felt 'dis for us, _petit_?"

"… I dunno. Almost since the beginning?" Reid murmured.

"Why y' never say nothin'?"

"I… I didn't want to come between you." Reid admitted. "And… well… compared to you two, I'm hardly… well…"

"You sell yerself short, pup." Logan growled. "Yer a good kid."

"Yeah… a kid."

"Logan don't mean like 'dat, Spencer." Remy soothed.

"But I am."

"Y' eighteen, _cher_. Y' a man now. Have been fo' a long time, _oui_? Takin' on de responsibilities of a man wit' y _mere _ and wit' college… We all know 'dat. Age ain't a big deal. And Remy ain't much older. Twenty one. An' Logan don't count. Now… tell Remy somet'in… why y' so rattled by… almos' bein' kissed?" Reid turned red again, but when he went to hide his face, Logan caught his hands.

"… I… wanted it. A lot. And I felt ashamed." Reid admitted, sounding on the verge of tears. "I know you two like each other and I felt like I would be betraying the both of you. But…"

"But?" The two men prompted.

"I… really liked the idea of that being my… first kiss." Remy and Logan gaped at Reid's admission. He looked at them, eyes wide, and felt humiliated tears welling up.

"Y' never been kissed?!" Remy finally gasped, and even Logan looked surprised.

"Well damn." The feral snorted.

"Hm." Remy smiled. He looked at Logan, and Logan looked back. They almost seemed to have a private conversation, and then, they both turned back to Reid, smiling.

"_Cher_… y' want ol' Gambit t' be y' firs' kiss?"

Reid glanced up at him, and then his eyes darted over to Logan, lingering on the man's lips, before he looked back at Remy. Logan grinned at that.

"Looks like he'd want either of us." He chuckled. "Trust me, kid. You want a kiss to make your toes curl, the Cajun's the one y' want."

"What?" Reid blurted, looking shocked. "Oh. No, no, I… I'm not gonna… you two should—"

"_Cher_…" Remy interrupted, his fingers suddenly on Reid's face. "We came close_, non_? An' y' was disappointed 'dat Remy didn't go t'rough wit' it."

"I…"

"Well… Remy don't like t' disappoint." The Cajun purred, and Reid froze, eyes wide and mouth open as the man leaned forwards. Remy's lips quirked up in a sensual smirk, and then they were right there again, like they had been in the club. Reid was staring into those demon eyes, unable to even blink. He could smell—taste!- the whiskey on Remy, and feel the warmth of his breaths on his face. Long arms had wrapped around him and he was being held against a hot, firm body, and he whimpered. Then there were fingers on his chin, tilting his face up, and those eyes slid closed halfway. Remy hummed in approval, and then, their lips touched.

Logan felt a smirk tugging at his features as he watched. Remy was perfectly in control, the corners of his mouth quirking up when, with a strangled moan, Reid slumped against him, his eyes widening briefly before fluttering closed. He squirmed a bit and Remy tugged him in closer, until Reid was sitting in his lap, his knees on either side of Remy's hips. Now Remy was the one tilting his head up, sliding his tongue out of his mouth and tracing the seam of Reid's lips, taking the opportunity of Reid's gasp to slip his tongue in and plunder his mouth. Just like that, the kiss had moved from soft and sweet, to hot and hungry. And as Logan watched and grinned, Reid's toes curled.

When it finally ended with a soft nibble and suckling of his lower lip, Reid was beyond lightheaded and then he was sucking air into his lungs with shaky breaths. His eyes blinked open and it took him a moment to focus, and he slowly looked down. Remy was looking up at him with a pleased look on his face, and he reached up and stroked Reid's cheek, then ran his fingers through his hair.

"An' now…" He murmured softly, "y' had y' firs' kiss, _cher_." And he winked. Reid blinked a couple of times and then flushed a vibrant shade of fuschia, averting his eyes. But that just made him realize that he was straddling Remy's lap. And that made him squeak. Remy grinned and Logan chuckled, blurting, "That was one of the hottest things I've ever seen."

The reactions to that were priceless. Reid and Remy's eyes widened and their jaws dropped, but then Remy allowed a wide, cocky grin to take over, and Reid… well… bolted.

"Oof!" Remy grunted as he ended up flat on his back while Reid ran for the bathroom in his utter embarrassment. But Logan was faster. Reid let out a startled shriek as powerful arms wrapped around him, lifted him up and plopped him right back down on the bed.

"… STAY." Came the low growl and Reid sat frozen, staring into steely blue eyes with a strange heat in them. Logan let him go, and he didn't move.

Remy sat up, pushing his hair, still damp from his shower, out of his face and saying "Now, why in de hell would dat make y' run away from us?!" His voice was dripping in amusement, and exasperation. Then he cocked his head. "Y' so determined to hook up me an' Wolvie, dat you don't even consider y'self an option in de equation?"

"… WHAT?!" Reid nearly shrieked, looking horrified. "Wait… what are you insinuating?! You're not actually suggesting that… that… the THREE of us…?! What?! That's absurd! You don't even LIKE me like that!"

"Who says?!" Remy asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, grinning at Reid, who looked flabbergasted.

"… Who would?!" Reid spat. He was startled by the look of shock that took over Remy's features, followed by a look of sadness.

"… Y' don't mean dat, _cher_…" He said softly, looking pained. Reid winced and looked away, then scoot up the bed and shoved his legs under the covers.

"I'd like to go to bed now. Goodnight." He said, rolling onto his side and drawing the blankets up. But a moment later, and they were jerked down.

"You think we're gonna just leave, pup?" Logan growled.

"It's my room. Get out." Reid snapped, snatching his blankets. But Logan didn't let go.

"No. You two have had your chance to speak. Now it's my turn." Logan snapped. "And you're gonna shut up and listen. Because I'm only gonna talk… FEELINGS…" He made a face at that, "… ONCE." And then he seemed to steel himself, rolled his eyes, and said "Apparently, it's no secret that I care about that damned Cajun as more than just a friend."

"Oh, love y' too, Wolvie."

"Shut up, swamp rat." Logan snapped, and Remy pouted. "First off, kid… what the hell makes ya think that no one would like you?!" Remy swiveled his head around, clearly still upset about Reid's comment.

"… No one ever has." Reid mumbled, slowly sitting up and accepting the fact that they weren't going to leave him alone.

"Has anyone ever tried?" Logan asked.

Reid shook his head. "No one ever liked me enough to try. I'm not a likable person… I… I never had friends, much less someone to… to…"

"Dat' ain't right. I know y' smart, _petit_. But maybe High School an' college at de ages you was at, wasn't such a good idea, _non_? Left y' totally alone."

"It ain't easy for you to make friends regardless." Logan pointed out. "Yer too shy, kid. If people got to know you, they'd like you. Like us."

"But to like me like… THAT…"

"Why y' say it like it's so unbelievable? Like you a lot, me. Like bein' wit' you as much as Logan. Sometimes more, when he's in a bad mood."

"Shut up, Gumbo."

"An' ol' Remy say dis, _cher…_ Remy sure liked kissin' ya." Remy said, leaning in with a purr in his tone. Reid's eyes widened and he stared at Remy, a blush staining his cheeks. "Remy t'ink… he might like t' do it again…" Reid's eyes widened even more and then… he was being kissed. The tension melted from his frame as he sighed at the soft, tender kiss. Remy kept it that way, light and gentle and coaxing. He was pleased to feel long, trembling fingers touching his own, and he wrapped his fingers around Reid's.

"Mmm… like 'dat, me." He breathed when they parted. "An' I t'ink Logan liked it, too." Reid blinked, and his eyes darted over to Logan. The man's eyes were smoldering, and he was almost panting.

"Damn straight I did…" Logan growled, a smirk coming to his face. And then he was moving in, like a hunter on his prey. Reid was about to scoot back when Remy slid in behind him, hands on his shoulders holding him steady. And then, surprisingly soft lips captured his in a dominant, demanding kiss. Reid sucked in a breath through his nose, lifting one hand and tentatively laying it on Logan's chest, shivering as he felt Remy running his fingers through his hair. There was a sudden sting as sharp teeth cut into his lip and he gasped, giving Logan the chance to taste him. Only a moment later, he registered the low, rumbling growl that was making the feral's chest vibrate under his hand.

The kiss broke off abruptly, and Reid found himself staring into blue eyes, before they shifted to over his shoulder. Then Reid watched as Logan leaned in, and froze when suddenly, Remy and Logan were kissing, over his shoulder… and fighting for dominance. Reid leaned away and twisted around to watch, only to have his breath stolen from his lungs. A heat rushed through him, his heart pounded, and he felt light headed again. Now he knew what had come over Logan when he had watched Reid and Remy… that was one of the most arousing sights Reid had ever seen. When the pair ended the kiss, they were both smiling.

"Remy could get used t' dat…" The Cajun said with a grin, and Logan smirked.

"Good." He said, then turned to Reid. "It's worth a shot, darlin'…" Logan murmured, and Reid felt his heart flutter at the endearment.

"But… three of us?"

"Polygamy been 'round for millennia, _cher_!" Remy pointed out happily. Reid groaned and Logan rolled his eyes.

"I think we should go for it." Logan announced.

"_Mai oui!_" Remy nodded eagerly. The pair turned and looked at Reid, sitting between them and worrying his lip, running his tongue over the little cut Logan had left him with.

"What if it… doesn't work?" He asked.

"At leas' we know we tried." Remy shrugged. "Better'n not tryin' an' wonderin' what we coulda' had."

Reid looked up at Remy, and nodded.

"… Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

Reid sighed and finished off the rest of his drink, and taking the last potsticker. But he promptly choked on it when Garcia blurted "so you hooked up and went to bed together?!"

Logan rolled his eyes and gave Reid a good whack between the shoulder blades.

"Yes." He snorted. "But sleeping was all that happened."

"But once we got together," Reid wheezed, "things started to happen."

"What sort of things?" Hotch asked.

"Well…" Reid said slowly, "when I woke… I could FEEL them. Right next to me. Not physically. But… here." And Reid tapped his left temple. "Not much. Just their presence. But… it was strange. I didn't know if I was happy, or scared. So I just… ignored it. The more time we spent together, the stronger it got."

"He didn't tell us, of course." Logan snorted. "We had been together for about two months before we figured out what was going on… weird things had been happening. Me an' the Cajun had been hearing… whispers. But we couldn't understand them. We only heard them around the kid. But one day, we were heading to train… And the kid wasn't happy about it. He didn't think he was ready. And fights weren't his thing."

"Still aren't." Morgan grinned, and Logan smirked. Scott had been ready to put Reid into the Danger Room on an actual training program for the first time. Of course, Logan didn't tell Reid's team that… throughout the whole story, Reid had neatly glossed over things and omitted others in a way that let the team know the story's truth, without giving away the information that Reid had been spending all of this time with the X-Men…

"Anyway… the training session was about to start and Nightlight—"

"Helios!"

"Was NOT havin' it…"

* * *

Reid stood there in Danger Room, looking beyond miserable. Remy, Logan, Ororo, Hank, Scott, Jean and Warren were all ready to get started. Rogue was in the control room, getting it ready. And then, came the soft whimper.

_I don't wanna do this… please don't make me do this…_ Remy and Logan's heads snapped around so quick, they almost gave themselves whiplash. Scott blinked.

"… Guys?"

Remy turned and looked at Logan. "Did you…?"

"Yep." Logan nodded, smirking. Remy was grinning.

"_Mon Dieu!_ I'll be damned!" Remy blurted, laughing and striding over to Reid, who was looking confused. He gasped when Remy grabbed him and lifted him up off the ground, spinning him around before bringing him down and kissing him.

"Ack! Remy! What the…?!"

"Y' got no idea what y' did, do y' _petit?!_"

"What?"

"You a Telepath, _cher_!"

"What?!"

"We both heard ya." Logan announced, tapping his forehead.

"Heard me?!"

"If'n y' don' wanna do dis… we ain't gon' make y' _cher_." Remy said, and Reid's eyes widened. "So proud of y', me! Y' a Telepath!"

* * *

The team grinned as Logan finished, and Reid smiled slightly.

"Of course, the kid couldn't hear US until we had—"

"LOGAN!" Reid shrieked, reaching out and smacking a hand over the man's mouth. The team burst out laughing as Reid turned red, knowing perfectly well what he was going to say.

"Seriously?" Garcia asked. "You started to hear them after you…"

"According to the Professor…" Reid said slowly, now going clinical to try and preserve his dignity, "for the first time since my shields went up… I… let them down. When I… trusted them enough to allow them to… Uh…"

"Be intimate." Logan said calmly.

"… that trust also allowed me to… touch their minds."

"But once he had us," Logan explained, "he didn't know how to let go."

"… It was a matter of… needing to be close to them mentally as well as physically." Reid admitted.

"Damn, kid." Morgan grinned. "And all these years I thought you were still a virgin!"

"That's because you're an asshole." Reid snorted, shooting the man a glare. Morgan looked startled, but the others just got a good laugh at his expense. Morgan shrugged, smiling.

"Well… now I just know that your reluctance to let me try and hook you up was for another reason." Morgan chuckled. "You weren't single. Damn. I have no idea how I didn't figure that out!"

"Oh, p-shaw!" Garcia blurted, waving her hand. "If Reid had told you, you wouldn't have believed him."

Logan watched the team banter back and forth in amusement, but beside him, Reid had drawn his knees in close and wrapped his arms around them, staring off into space. All the reminiscing had… hurt. All he could think of was those memories of Remy, such wonderful memories. His smile, his laugh, his touch… his kiss… and then his mind was overcome by horrible visions of the man in pain… bloody. Screaming… dying…

Logan's nostrils quivered as he suddenly scented the distress of his mate, and he forgot all about the team and turned his attention on to Reid.

"Hey… Spencer… What is it? What's wrong, darlin'?" He asked. Reid didn't answer. He was staring off into space, his eyes wide and glazed… and terrified. "Spencer?" Logan called, then lunged when Reid gave a great shudder and slumped to the side, his eyes rolling back into his head.

_It was cold. So cold. But the cold wasn't enough to numb the burning pain that throbbed through his entire being. The pain in his arms was bad enough for him to wish that they could just be ripped off, just so he didn't have to feel it anymore. Every breath sent hot spikes of pain through his chest, and his throat felt like sandpaper. He gasped when he was suddenly doused with cold water, and he cracked open his eyes… God, even THAT hurt! He couldn't focus and was seeing double… maybe triple… The men before him were speaking… sneering cruel words at him. But they were all jumbled… he couldn't understand them. All he could feel was the pain. And then, there was more. The burning agony exploded through him, brought on by the familiar jolting electricity... His throat burned as he threw his head back and screamed, his body thrashing and aggravating his injuries even more. Not for the first time, he wondered if he would survive… If he would ever see his loved ones again…_

_Spencer…_

_Logan…_

"Spencer?!"

Reid let out a cry and jerked upright, his eyes wide with tears flowing from them, and he sobbed, lifting a hand to his mouth as he bolted for the bathroom. Logan was on his heels, kneeling beside him as the younger man heaved and purged his stomach of his dinner. The world spun around him as he slumped to the side, resting his weight on his hip instead of his knees. He had one arm stretched out across the toilet seat, and he rested his cheek on his arm, gasping into the toilet bowl before heaving again. He felt like hours passed as he sat there in misery, but then Logan pulled him back to rest against his strong chest, and JJ was there with a wet washcloth, gently running it over his face and neck.

"You okay, Spence?" She asked, looking very worried. A moment later, and Hotch was there was a glass of water and Reid's toothbrush, the toothpaste already on it. With a shaking hand, Reid accepted it and began to slowly brush his teeth, still settled on the floor.

_Remy…_ Spencer thought, projecting to Logan.

"What?" Logan asked, frowning.

_I… I touched Remy's mind._

"You what?!" Logan blurted, suddenly flinging Reid around to lean against the wall while the burly mutant knelt before him and gripped his shoulders. "What did you see?! Did he say anything?! How is he?!"

The team looked confused as Logan seemed to have a one sided conversation with Reid.

_I don't think he knew I was there. We didn't communicate. It's like I just… sat in his mind, with him. Seeing through his eyes. Feeling what he felt… He's hurt… bad. He's really out of it. He's cold, and dehydrated and just… he's in so much PAIN! _Reid cried into Logan's mind, bowing his head and weeping softly. Logan frowned and turned, picking up the cup of water and helping Reid sip it and rinse out his mouth that was still full of toothpaste, and then he opened his arms and allowed Reid to bury himself within his embrace.

"What's going on?" Hotch asked carefully.

"He touched Remy's mind." Logan murmured, stroking Reid's hair. "Did you see anything helpful, darlin'?"

"No…" Reid gasped, hiding his face. "It was dark and he… like I said, he wasn't really coherent. The UnSubs were there, talking to him. But he wasn't able to focus enough to understand them."

"What about you?" Logan asked. "You were there, but you're not him." Reid was silent for a long moment, then took a deep breath.

"They were insulting him. Condemning him because he's a mutant. And… taunting him for not… talking back. I don't think he could… And they knew it…"

"Did you see his surroundings?!" Hotch asked, kneeling in front of Reid beside Logan.

"I… I dunno. I mean… it was dark. And the air was… stale. The room wasn't large. And it was cold. Very cold."

"It's not much… but I'll see if I can come up with anything." Garcia said.

"We need to rest." Hotch reminded them.

"I'll set up the search tonight." Garcia replied. "It will take some time. We can check results in the morning."

"Alright." Hotch nodded. "We need to head to bed."

"Wait…" Logan said, frowning. "Spencer… babe… look at me." Slowly, Reid lifted his head. "If Remy's wearing an inhibitor collar… how did you get into his head?"

"… I don't know." Reid said softly, then frowned and chewed his lip. "I mean… the inhibitor collar dampens his mutant powers. But… not mine." Reid was silent for a long while. "Maybe… I can reach him, but because of the inhibitor, he can't reach me back? Or… maybe he wasn't wearing it?"

"Would they take that risk?" Logan asked. "It was just luck that they got Remy in the first place… but they would have seen SOME of what he can do…"

"He's really hurt, Logan." Reid said softly. "I don't know if he can focus enough to actually…" He trailed off, letting his head drop into his hands.

"Can you reach him again?" Logan asked.

"He's not going to try." Hotch said firmly, and Logan turned, snarling. "He needs to rest. If… touching your friend's mind made him that sick…" Logan glared, but then deflated and nodded.

"But if I can get more information to find him—"

"Yer boss is right, kid. You're exhausted. You need to rest. Then, tomorrow, you can try again…"

"My search is running, sweet pea." Garcia said softly, and Logan pulled Reid to his feet. Reid winced and swayed as he was overcome with a wave of dizziness. Strong arms steadied him, and then lowered him onto the bed. There were words exchanged, and then the room was quiet. A moment later, he felt the bed shift, there were warm arms around him and he could smell Logan. Then fingers were running through his hair, soothing him into sleep.

* * *

The next day, the team was back on the case. Logan went out to try and gather more information on his own, but didn't find much. For two days, the team worked. And for two days, they found nothing. Reid repeatedly attempted to find Remy telepathically, but never could. And then, on the third night after Remy had disappeared, something happened.

Logan was woken by his lover whimpering and twitching beside him in bed…

_His vision was blurry. There was an excruciating pain in his jaw as a rough hand gripped it tight and held his head up, forcing him to stare at the man with the hazel eyes. The light brown hair… short. Strong jaw… Thin lips drawn tight over teeth bared in a cruel smile._

"_Come on, Mutie…" Came the low, cruel voice. "What's wrong? Got nuthin' to say?" The grip on his jaw tightened, and a cry of pain rose from his throat as he felt a horrible popping and grinding sensation. Then the man chuckled. "Not so talkative now, huh?"_

"_Nnngh…" He groaned, and the man cocked his head._

"_What's that? You're gonna hafta speak up, mutie…" _

"_Gon'... gon' get yerss…" He ground out behind his teeth, unable to move his jaw. "He gon' gut ya…"_

"_Oh, yeah, tough guy? Who's gonna gut me, eh?"_

"_Heh… Not'in gon' save y' from 'is claws…"_

"_Who's got the claws, mutie?" Laughed the man. "You hallucinating now?" _

_Laughter. From more than the man._

"_What's he saying?"_

"_Seems to think someone with claws is gonna gut me."_

_More laughter._

"_Fools… all'ya. Gotcha'self in deep, _homme_… Wit' d' Feds… an' d' X-Men. Dey gon' come f' ol' Gambit… Wolverine gon' come f' Gambit… If'n Gambit don't kill y' firs…" A heat in his fingers…_

"_GET THE COLLAR BACK ON HIM!"_

_Cold metal on his neck. Tightening. The warm familiar tingle in his fingers was gone. And the thing on his neck got tighter… he couldn't breathe. Then something was covering his mouth, smothering him, and then the pain. Oh God, the pain. Voices, but he couldn't understand them. His head was swimming, and spots were appearing in his vision, before that was darkened… _

"_Did he say X-Men?!"_

"_Shit!"_

"_We can't keep him. We gotta get rid of him. Fast."_

"_Where?"_

"_The river. Once it's dark. Change in our method will throw off the Feds... We'll tie him up and throw him in the river. Let him drown. Nice and painful. And it'll take his body out to sea, they may not even find him. And the river's only fifteen minutes away. Then we get the hell out of town. Start over somewhere else. Now pack your shit."_

"_But Dale… we gotta…"_

_And then he was falling into the dark abyss once more…_

"—pencer?! Come on, pup, snap out of it! Wake up!"

Reid jerked and his eyes flew open. He stared up into worried blue eyes, gasping for breath… sobbing… His face was wet. He touched his cheek with a shaky hand, and then sat up, rubbing his eyes furiously as the tears fell.

"What happened?!" Logan demanded to know, ignoring the pounding on the hotel room door.

"Remy… They're gonna kill him!" Reid gasped. Logan stared at him for a moment, then turned and strode over to the door and flung it open. Hotch was there, as was Morgan. Both were in their pajama pants. Hotch wore a plain white t-shirt, Morgan had foregone a shirt totally. Both looked like they had just rolled out of bed. Across the hall, Emily was opening her door to see what the commotion was.

"What happened?!" Hotch demanded to know, striding into the room, awake and alert. Logan followed, climbing back into the bed and sitting in front of Reid. No one paid any attention to the rest of the team creeping into the room in their pajamas, Garcia clutching a fuzzy bumblebee plush and pushing bright blue and green winged glasses onto her face.

"Reid?" Morgan was calling. Reid seemed on the verge of hyperventilating. Rossi walked across the room and flung open the curtains, allowing the rising sun to stream in. That did it. Reid gasped and blinked at the light, jerking his head up and staring out the window.

"What did you see, darlin'?" Logan asked, while Emily started furiously working at the in-room coffee machine to get some caffeine into Reid.

"… I was in Remy's head again. They… they had removed the collar. Thought he was too weak to do anything." Reid gasped. "Logan… I heard them. They're gonna kill him. Tonight. He… he told them… that the FBI and the X-Men were going to be coming after them. And they're panicking. They're gonna kill him and move to a new city. Start over."

"Damn Cajun can't keep his mouth shut! He's gonna get himself killed!"

"He knows that, Logan!" Reid cried. "He… He doesn't think we'll find him in time."

"What?!"

"I could feel it…" Reid whimpered, putting his face in his hands. "He doesn't think we'll get to him in time. He was trying to freak them out. Piss them off. Scare them. Throw them off their game. So that they would…"

"So they would make a mistake." Hotch finished, and Reid nodded, miserably.

"… I saw one of them." He suddenly said, meekly. "Through Remy's eyes. And I heard the name 'Dale'. And he said that the river is only fifteen minutes away. That's what they plan to do. Drown him in the river and let his body be carried away. So it won't be found. And to throw us off." Reid turned to look at Hotch and Garcia.

"… Fifteen minutes from a river. And the name Dale." Garcia nodded.

"Hazel eyes, brown hair." Reid said softly.

"I'll start searching." And she hurried from the room.

"How do we explain it?" Reid asked. "The information. Without revealing… everything?"

"Anonymous tip." Hotch said calmly, stepping aside to allow Emily to sit on the edge of the bed and pass Reid the mug of coffee. Reid accepted it with shaking hands, and the team moved to leave.

"Hotch." The team paused at Reid's call, and Hotch turned. Reid didn't look at them. He couldn't bring himself to. "Please… help me find him. I… I can't lose him. I…" His words were choked off and he bowed his head, helpless and fearful tears running down his cheeks.

"… You know we'll do everything we can, Reid." Hotch said, then to the team, "let's get to work. We're running out of time."

Reid walked into the station alone. The team was hard at work, as were the officers and detectives; the chief would not allow them to slack just because the victims were mutants. Mckennon and Sanders shot Reid dirty looks as he walked past. Reid just looked down and walked past them.

When he walked into the room, the team looked up at him.

"Spence…" JJ greeted, walking over and giving him a gentle hug. "How are you?"

"I'll be better when we find Remy." Reid said, his voice firm. "Have we found anything? The station seems to be in an uproar."

"… We've identified Dale. And we think we've identified the pack." Morgan said from where he stood leaning over Garcia, his hands braced on the table, and the back of her chair. Reid's eyes widened.

"… Show me."

"Dale Ward." Emily said, handing the file to Reid. "Army Veteran. He and his unit were in a skirmish in Afghanistan. A lot of them died. But one of them revealed himself to be a mutant… Mikhail Zukanovic. And he saved them. But when they got back, Dale and five others attacked him. And they killed him. They were all given a dishonorable discharge, but no charges were filed…"

"Why?!" Reid demanded, his eyes flashing in anger. "Because their victim was a mutant?!"

"If you read between the lines, yes." Hotch said.

"When they came back, they all separated." Rossi said, as the team all sat down, passing Reid the files. "Tried to move on, but they didn't have much luck. Several of them joined law enforcement. Dale was on a SWAT team. But they all ended up losing their jobs, and came together again."

"They've spent the last five years," JJ continued, "moving around, working with Anti-Mutant groups… they were vocal. Very vocal. Didn't think they were doing enough… they were preaching action. If the mutants were to be stopped, they had to do it themselves, and not keep asking the government to do it for them. It seems that they came from families in general that were very antimutant…"

"And that's when they dropped off the grid." Garcia said. "And started killing. In Phoenix, Arizona."

"What?" Reid gasped.

"We have over thirty victims." Emily sighed. "In Phoenix, Kansas City, and now here. That's why they're so good. They're ex-military, and they've had a lot of practice. Once the pattern of the victims being mutants was discovered, the cops stopped working the cases so hard. But they also only stay a few months each time."

"None of them, or their families, have property here in Boston." Garcia said. "So we're looking at abandoned properties, or propertied that were leased after the killings in Kansas City stopped."

Reid nodded and said "We have ten hours."


	10. Chapter 10

Spencer Reid sat in a chair at the end of the table, staring off into space as his team worked. He slowly closed his eyes. Time was running out… his mind drifted into memories as he fought back the worry that was making him sick to his stomach. He thought back on happy times. The soft caress of a gentle hand down his bare arm… A warm laugh and loving words that rolled off of a sensuous tongue, with that Cajun ring that somehow was like no other. The playful quirk of lips that made him yearn to be kissed. Long, dark red hair that fell into the handsome face too much for his liking… because it hid the eyes.

The most remarkable eyes he had ever seen. In quiet moments, he had loved nothing more than to stare at those eyes that were unlike any other pair in the world. Where others only saw the devil, he saw the blackest night lit by brilliant embers, warm, and inviting, yet mysterious and teasing. The red on black was striking. And despite his awe for every inch of that splendid body, the eyes were the feature that he treasured the most. The idea that he would never see them again left him empty inside.

The thought that he might only see them once more, glazed over in death… to touch his hair, matted with his life's blood… To see that body that had held him close so many times, broken and lifeless… To never hear that smoky toned voice again… To feel the harsh cold of death on that golden skin…

Reid choked back a sob and swallowed back the bile, and wondered if Logan would be enough to keep him strong enough to continue to live… Would it break Logan, as he knew it would break him, to lose the man that was the very source of vibrancy in their lives…?

"Oh!" Garcia's exclamation startled Reid out of his dreadful reverie. He turned and looked over at her. "I think I've got something! So… I followed the map Reid brought us to get a general direction. And then I limited the search to within a few miles of rivers, with privacy and… I've narrowed it down to… Four properties. But it's over nearly a thirty mile stretch. But but BUT! One of them is a… large compound."

"Compound?" Hotch asked.

"It used to be a medical facility in the 1800's and early 1900's. And then a Prison from 1927 until 1964. And then it was shut down. It's been abandoned ever since. There are all sorts of stories of it being haunted. But here's the thing. One of our pack, Brad Schueller… he grew up in a small town only twelve miles away. The closest town to the place. That's the best connection I can find."

"… It will do." Hotch said, nodding. "We only have three hours until sundown." And the team all stood and jumped into action.

"Then let's go. I'll call Log-"

"Reid." Hotch interrupted. "You stay here."

"… What?!"

"You're too close to this. You can't come with us."

Reid stood, fire in his eyes, and then, literal fiery color began to glow. Hotch's eyes hardened as Reid, for the first time, allowed his mutation to show in his anger.

"I know you want to be there." Hotch said gently, reaching out and gripping Reid's shoulder. "Believe me, I know. But I can't allow it. I'm sorry." And he turned and walked away. One by one the team followed, leaving Reid with Garcia.

Garcia watched them leave the station with the police, and then she slowly turned and looked at Reid. And her eyes widened.

"Reid… You… you have that look. I don't like that look. It means you're going to do something that you shouldn't do."

"The less you know, the better." Reid said, turning to look at her.

"Reid… please. Just sit here with me. Wait with me. Logan can wait with us."

Reid barked out a derisive laugh. "Logan does NOT wait. And this time… neither do I." And he strode from the room, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Logan? We found him. Meet me outside the station. Now. And Logan… call them." And he hung up, not giving the man a chance to answer.

"Reid!" Garcia cried, chasing after him. "Reid, stop!" She grabbed his hand and he turned and looked at her.

"Let me go." He told her.

"Reid, I can't. Hotch told you to stay behind. If you go…"

"Then I go not as Agent Reid." He murmured to her, taking her hands. "I go as Spencer. As a mutant." And he turned and walked away. Garcia stared after him, and then slowly looked down, and felt tears come to her eyes. In her hands, were Reid's gun, badge and credentials. Gasping she ran after him, stepping out the front door just in time to see Reid swing his leg over a motorcycle and settle on the seat, wrapping his arms around Logan's waist and saying "Did you call them?"

"Damn straight. They were on a rescue mission on the west coast. But they're heading homeward. They'll be here in a matter of hours."

"Reid!" Garcia cried. Reid and Logan turned and looked at her, and then Logan looked back at Reid.

"Darlin'?"

"Not a WORD, Garcia… Let's go." Reid said, putting on the helmet and holding onto Logan. The gruff mutant stared at Garcia a moment longer, then said "we take care of our own." And with a roar, the motorcycle took off, leaving Garcia standing on the steps of the police station, staring after them…

* * *

The SUV's turned off their headlights as they reached the rusted gates of the old medical compound that was slowly being devoured by the forests surrounding it. Behind the caravan was an ambulance, ready to transport the victim to the hospital… or the morgue. The gate was opened, and the agents and police led the flood of SWAT agents into the compound. They began to search the buildings.

Less than fifteen minutes later, and a motorcycle came to a stop where the caravan was parked. After a moment, it was moved off of the road and disappeared into the woods. The paramedics, waiting for the call to move in, stared after it. A moment later, and they were rewarded with the sight of two figures emerging from the woods, one tall and slender, one short and strong. The shorter of the pair was wearing what appeared to be a full body suit of armored black leather with thin stripes of yellow lining. There was a cigar sticking out of his mouth.

The slender man beside him wore black slacks, a purple button down shirt and plain, black ballistics vest. And over this, was a long, brown trench coat. The pair didn't even look at the paramedics as they walked into the compound.

Reid turned and looked at Logan as he lifted his head and sniffed the air while grinding out the cigar under his boot heel.

"He's here." Logan said, slowly looking around and scenting the area. He started to move into it further, sniffing. "I can smell his blood."

"… Find him." Reid said softly.

"With pleasure." Logan growled, and Reid followed him. They made their way to a large, long building at the far right edge of the compound, and there, they stepped through the doors and Logan stopped. He frowned and sniffed the air.

"Which way?" Reid asked.

"… Not sure. But he's in here. My guess? Down…"

"Split up." Reid said.

"Stay with me." Logan said, tapping his temple.

"I will."

"… Be careful."

"I will." Reid nodded, and the pair darted in different directions, even as they heard shouts, and gunfire from in the building…

* * *

Hotch and JJ and the officers with them were pressed against the walls on either side of a doorway that a hail of bullets was flying through. Every now and then, the shots stopped as the UnSubs had to reload, and the LEO's would move to fire off a few rounds of their own, but for now, they were pinned down.

Hotch scowled as his phone vibrated against his hip. It had been doing that almost non-stop for ten minutes. Finally, ducking back, he pulled it out. There were numerous missed calls, voicemails, texts from Garcia. And then, as he watched, one came in from Reid.

_Close your eyes._

"Hotch…" JJ gasped. Hotch looked up; a ball of light was floating down the hall towards them. It went through the doorway and moved closer to the UnSubs. Hotch's eyes widened.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" And he ducked and covered. JJ and the others quickly followed suite, and a moment later, an incredibly bright white light filled the hallway. They could hear the UnSub's shouts, one howling "I can't see!"

"GO!" Came the shout. Hotch snapped his head up and his eyes blazed in fury as Reid came running down the corridor, eyes intense; that was all he could see, Reid had tied his scarf over the bottom half of his face to disguise himself. Hotch caught him by the arm.

"Reid… you can't be here! You disobeyed a direct order—"

"Agent Reid isn't here." Reid snapped back, jerking away. "I'm just an unidentified civilian mutant who calls himself Helios. Now are you coming or not?!"

Down at the end of the hall, one of the UnSubs stumbled into view and raised his gun towards the voices, and pulled the trigger.

Hotch stumbled back, staring as a transparent wall of light appeared, and the bullet ricocheted off of its surface.

"COME ON!" Reid commanded in an angry tone, and started to advance on the UnSubs, the wall moving five feet in front of him.

"… Let's go!" Hotch called back, and the officers followed. JJ just looked back and forth between Hotch and Reid, seeing the anger in both men… And confirming her fears, Hotch then growled "We'll discuss this later…"

* * *

Morgan, Emily and Rossi led their squadron down the hallway, guns up and ready. They reached a junction between two halls. Rossi proceeded to keep his eyes forward while Emily and Morgan turned and walked sideways, Emily checking the hall to their left, Morgan to their right. But then, Rossi stumbled and gasped.

"Tripwire!"

"GRENADE!" Morgan shouted.

"GET DOWN!" All eyes turned when a black-clad man brought Rossi to the ground in a flying tackle, just as the grenade went off. As the smoke cleared, Rossi stared up into Logan's blue eyes, shocked.

"You… you just—"

"Later!" Logan snarled, leaping to his feet as three of the UnSubs appeared out of rooms, firing their guns. To the agents' horror, the man didn't take cover; he leapt at the gunmen, and in the blink of an eye, two were on the ground.

What happened next, none of them would ever forget. It was almost in slow motion. Logan was turning as the third appeared out of a doorway, shotgun up and ready. Logan was opening his mouth, letting out a roar, when—

_BLAM!_

Triggers were pulled as Logan's body flew back and crashed to the ground, and a moment later, the UnSub's bullet-riddled body followed. Heart in his throat, Morgan was already running towards the mutant on the ground. He skidded to a stop on his knees, and stared.

"Oh man…" He breathed, unable to stop himself from turning away.

Logan had been shot in the face. Point blank. There wasn't much left…

"Reid…" Rossi breathed.

"This is gonna kill him…" Morgan said, tears already shining in his eyes.

"Hey… is that… metal?" Emily asked, and Rossi looked closer.

"What the-?!"

Morgan turned at the looks on his teammates' faces, and those of the Police and SWAT agents behind them. And he felt his own eyes widen and jaw drop. Right before his eyes, a skull made of metal was slowly disappearing as flesh began to crawl back over it, and skin began to knit back together. Then the eyelids were back, and everyone stumbled back with gasps and yelps as the eyes suddenly snapped open, and then looked straight at them. Like some hellish creature in a horror movie, the mutant rose to his feet. Then he grimaced and tilted his head to the side, his neck cracking loudly, and he looked at the team… and his face was perfect… as though nothing had ever happened. The only evidence was the damage to his uniform around the neck and shoulders.

"… Let's move." Logan rumbled, and turned and led the way down the hall.

Speechless, Morgan, Rossi and Emily looked at each other, and then silently did as they were told…

At another junction in the corridor, Logan skidded to a stop, and sniffed the air. "… This way." He growled, turning right.

"What?! How do you know!" Morgan demanded.

"I can smell 'im." Logan stated, and then, at the other end of the long hall, Reid skidded around the corner with Hotch and JJ, and a few SWAT agents. Like the other group Logan was with, some of the agents had stayed behind with apprehended UnSubs. Reid and Logan stared at each other, and then both turned and looked at the door halfway down the hall. Slowly, everyone approached and met right in front of it.

"He's in there?" Reid breathed.

"Yeah. I can smell him real strong…"

"… But?"

"He ain't alone, darlin'."

"Is he…"

"Smell of blood ain't strong enough."

"There are other ways to-"

"I don't smell death." Logan said. "But that could change real soon…"

"Okay." Hotch murmured. "We're going to—"

"Yer gonna stay back, bub." Logan growled. "Let me an' the kid handle it."

"You're not authorized to—"

"I'm the one steppin' through that door, AGENT." Logan snapped. "They can't kill me."

"Now is no time for egos to—"

"Hotch." Reid interrupted. "It's okay. He's right. They can't hurt him."

"Hotch." Rossi said. "Not ten minutes ago, we saw this guy take a shotgun blast point blank to the face." Morgan and Emily nodded, and Hotch was now looking at Logan in something akin to alarm.

"Step back." Reid said softly, pushing Hotch back. Hotch looked down into Reid's earnest, pleading eyes, and then waved the agents back…

"I'm right behind you, Logan."

"No." Logan snarled. "You stay back fer now."

"Wait…" Rossi hissed.

"You have an idea?" Hotch asked, seeing the look on the man's face. Rossi leaned in, beckoning Logan in, too.

"Just how much can you take?" He asked the mutant.

"… Anything." Logan snorted. The others looked skeptical.

"Trust him." Reid said firmly. "His whole skeleton is adamantium. It's indestructible. You could shoot him point blank with a sniper rifle and he'd just get back up again."

"Can you goad this guy into shooting you?" Rossi asked. "And then…"

"Fake it…?" JJ breathed, grinning suddenly.

"We can try to negotiate." Morgan added. "But if we can't… Logan can get the drop on him."

"As long as he doesn't know who I am and what I can do…" Logan shrugged.

"… Do it." Hotch nodded, and everyone backed away. Logan faced the door, growling at the scent of Remy's blood coming from behind it. Then he lifted his fists, and the agents all jumped in shock when he unsheathed his claws. Hotch looked shocked, then horrified, and then he set his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the back of Reid's head for a moment, before turning his attention back on Logan. The man was tense, baring his teeth, and his eyes were blazing. Then he raised his hands and lunged, slashing with his claws. And with a roar, he burst through the doors that he had just sliced to pieces…


	11. Chapter 11

The first time Logan had ever seen his lovers naked, there had been such a beautiful contrast between them. They were all gold and ivory… milk and honey…

Spencer was so incredibly shy as he sat there with his boyfriends, naked before them for the first time. His face was red, his eyes were downcast and he was curled up tightly, trying to hide as much of himself as he could. It took a lot of loving words, gentle hands and patient coaxing to get him to uncurl and allow his lovers to see every inch of white skin, and they had to spend a lot of time convincing him that he was just as beautiful as they were… just in different ways. Well, at least convince him enough to trust them with himself in such a vulnerable state. To this day, he didn't believe that he was beautiful, no matter what they said. And to this day, it still often took some coaxing to get Spencer to get undressed with the lights on, with his lovers watching…

Now Remy, he was different. The auburn haired Cajun had no qualms about showing his body, and the sun kissed tone of his skin betrayed that. In fact, Logan found himself thinking that Remy must sunbathe. Naked. Fairly regularly. While there WERE tan lines, they weren't as pronounced as Logan would have expected. And apparently, Remy liked Speedos as much as he did regular swim trunks. Of course, he'd actually seen those. The thought made him smirk in amusement at the time Remy had strolled into the kitchen of the Xavier school in nothing but sun glasses, hot pink speedos (possibly the only man alive who could pull that off while still looking masculine) and a towel around his neck, making Kitty, Jean and Jubilee blush, Rogue give him an appreciative look, and making Scott promptly chase him out, yelling at him the whole time about decency around children. Yes, with those toned muscles wrapped beautifully around his long bones, Remy was a paradigm of perfect male beauty and sensuality. And the little fucker knew it, dammit…

Now, seeing Remy like this… it was worse than, well… getting blasted in the face by a shotgun. It stole the breath out of Logan's lungs, and made him want to throw up. For a long moment, he didn't even notice the other man in the room. He had eyes only for Remy… He didn't want to believe that the wretch before him was the Master Thief who had stolen his heart. But his nose didn't lie…

"… Remy…"

The body was barely recognizable. He couldn't even catch a glimpse of that golden skin between the extensive bruising, and the filth, blood and dirt that was streaked across the planes of his body. The black jogging pants that Remy had last slept in hung from his hips and legs in tatters, revealing more blood and bruising between the shreds of fabric. He hung limp from the ceiling, one wrist holding him up dangling on a chain. The other arm fell limp, and the wrist had deep wounds and bruising around it, and the empty manacle swinging overhead let him know that Remy had been hanging from both wrists not too long ago. The chains weren't long enough to allow the man to rest on his knees, so his body hung awkwardly, legs splayed out around him, one bent at an angle that just didn't look right…

He couldn't see Remy's face… his head hung forward, face hidden under his long, russet hair, greasy, tangled and matted with blood.

For a moment, Logan thought they were too late. But his keen ears picked up the faint sounds of Remy's shallow breathing, raspy, wheezing, weak…

It was the metallic click that finally got Logan's attention. A man was standing behind Remy, Dale, sneering at Logan and pressing a gun to Remy's skull. Logan immediately felt his rage skyrocket… no one threatened what was HIS!

"Back off bub, if ya wanna keep yer head…"

"I know you…" The man hissed, narrowing his eyes. "You're one of them… the X-Men… W-Wolf…?"

"Wolverine." Logan growled. Outside in the hall, the team was staring around at each other in shock, and then all looking at Reid. But Reid only had eyes for the door. As it was, he was crouched down and looking ready to bolt in at any moment. One hand was even extended, ready to call upon his own mutant powers to help. But for now, he waited.

"So it's true then…" The man was saying. "This one… he's one of yours? Wha'd he call himself… Gambit?"

"Damn straight he's one of us. He's an X-Man. Ya do anything stupid, and yer gonna be up to yer eyeballs in some very pissed, and very powerful mutants, bub."

"… all the better to bring them out of hiding!" The man barked back. Reid was looking worried now.

"It's not going to work." Reid breathed, then looked up at Hotch. "The Anthrax Case. How you handled Michael Brown…" Hotch stared at him a moment, and then his eyes lit up, and Reid knew he understood.

"It was pure luck ya got yer hands on Gambit." Logan was barking back. "Ya don't stand a chance against any of us."

"Oh yeah? Let's see how you talk when I blow you friend's brains all over you."

"You don't want to do that!"

Everyone froze at Hotch's shout.

"… Who's out there?!" The man roared. Hotch only hesitated a moment, then moved around Reid and stepped through the door, gun up and ready.

"FBI." He announced, slowly moving up to stand beside Logan. "I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner."

"Well well… feds and muties working together…" The man sneered. "No wonder this country is going to hell."

"What better way to unite those who are at odds, than to give them a common enemy?" Hotch shot back.

"What common enemy?! ME?!" The man shouted, enraged.

"You've been killing people." Hotch pointed out.

"MUTANTS!"

"But no one knew that. Not at first." Hotch reasoned. "That's not what people saw. They saw monsters who killed a fifteen year old boy."

"HE WAS A MUTANT!" The man raged. "THEY WERE ALL MUTANTS!"

"But no one knew it. Not until recently." Hotch said. "Finding out that the victims were mutants? That completely changed this case for us." He cocked his head to the side. "We got new orders."

"… Orders?"

"From the Bureau." Hotch said.

"And… these orders were?"

"Find the men responsible for the killings and bring them in." Hotch said. "… Alive."

"Why alive, specifically?" The man asked, smirking.

"Because… You're the experts." Hotch said. "We've uncovered everything, Dale." The man jerked when Hotch called him by name. "Starting in Phoenix. Going through Kansas City. And now here. You've proven yourself invaluable. A small team of ordinary men, taking down mutants." Hotch lowered his gun slightly. "The government knows valuable men when we see them. I'm supposed to bring you in, to help launch a new department for dealing with dangerous mutants."

"And I'm supposed to believe you?" Dale asked, though his own gun slowly began to drop. "You're here with that… X-Man!"

"He crashed the party." Hotch said dryly. "Why do you think I let him stay? Because he was dumb enough to go in first. Let me know just how trigger happy you were going to be before I came in."

Logan was giving Hotch a look now.

"You want proof, Dale? You want something that says you can trust me?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do!"

"… How about one more dead mutant?" Hotch asked. And suddenly he raised the gun and turned it. Logan only had the chance to lean back and raise his hands slightly before…

The shot rang out. Dale watched, eyes wide, as Wolverine crashed to the ground… and didn't move.

"SHOTS FIRED!" A voice roared from the hall.

"STAND DOWN!" Hotch commanded.

Out in the hall, JJ had wrapped her arms around Reid when the young man violently flinched at the gunshot.

Back in the room, Hotch and Dale were staring one another down.

"Better?" Hotch asked.

"… A bit."

"Dale… You need to put down the gun."

"What if I want to kill this mutie?"

"Don't." Hotch said, and Dale narrowed his eyes.

"Why not? Only good mutant is a dead mutant."

"Look at him, Dale. You've already killed him. He's dying as we speak. Why waste a bullet? He's not worth it. And if you pull that trigger while I'm in here, that team outside will come in. And I can't guarantee your safety if they come in here all trigger happy. So just put down the gun, Dale. And come quietly. This is just the beginning of the hunt. Everything up until now has been the training. It's time for the true game to begin…"

And finally. FINALLY. Dale lowered the gun.

"Set it on the floor and slide it over. We have to take you into custody, Dale. But once we get you to Washington, we can begin to negotiate your contract to serve your country." Dale did as he was told, and Rossi and Emily entered the room, cautiously.

"Right this way, sir." Emily said, and Dale allowed Rossi to cuff him and lead him away, thought he paused and looked down at the mutant on the floor. Then he smirked.

"With my help, you'll have all the X-Men exactly the way these two are now…" He sneered, and let them lead him from the room. As soon as he was brought out Reid darted in and Logan got to his feet, opening his arms and catching the young agent.

"I know you're okay." Reid gasped, kissing the man. "But that doesn't mean I'm okay hearing you get… shot."

"I know, darlin'." Logan nodded, and then the pair turned.

"… Oh God." Reid gasped. "Remy… Remy?!" He ran to the body hanging grotesquely. "Logan, help me! Remy?!"

Hotch was there, as were Logan and Morgan.

"I'll call in the paramedics." JJ said, her voice tense and focused.

Reid had knelt and was peering up at Remy's face. "Oh God, Logan…" He cried.

"Catch him!" Logan commanded, unsheathing his claws. Hotch moved in on Remy's right side and Morgan got on the left, and the pair carefully held onto his body, lifting him a few inches. Logan swiped with his claws and sliced through the chain. Hotch and Morgan grunted as Remy's full weight fell into their arms, and they carefully lowered his body to the floor. Logan felt his heart clench as he finally saw Remy's face.

It was unrecognizable. A mass of cuts, bruises, swelling… and duct tape. Already, Reid was carefully pulling the tape away from Remy's mouth, whimpering "those bastards. They broke his nose, he could hardly breathe through it… and they taped his mouth?! Oh God… Logan, they broke his jaw!" Reid was barely holding it together now as he began to work on the tape covering Remy's eyes, and uncovering the horrible black and blue, revealing eyes that were too swollen to open. "Logan, get that damned collar off of him!"

Morgan moved aside for the clawed mutant, watching as Logan moved up and sliced the collar off of Remy's neck, revealing more bruises; as soon as the cruelly tight collar fell away, Remy started breathing easier, but still… he wasn't breathing right. His lips were almost blue. He either had a punctured or collapsed lung… he had to. But Logan didn't say it out loud, not wanting to alarm Reid more than he already was. The boy was already cradling Remy's head in his lap, stroking his matted hair and trying to not cry.

"Remy… Remy? Can you hear me? Come on, Remy.. please wake up. Please. Just… just give me a sign that you hear me. Please Remy, don't do this…" JJ, Hotch and Morgan could only watch as tears finally fell, dripping down Reid's cheeks as he curled up and let his forehead rest against Remy's.

"Don't leave us, Remy… Please… you have to wake up!"

Logan knelt beside Reid and wrapped his arms around the young agent, staring into the horribly damaged face that Reid was gently stroking. He felt his throat tighten when Spencer whispered to Remy, "You know that place between sleep and awake, where you still remember dreaming?"

Remy didn't answer, and Spencer sobbed.

Then the paramedics were there. Remy was lifted onto the gurney and an IV drip was immediately started to combat his severe dehydration. And then they were following the paramedics out, Reid removing Remy's trench coat and draping it over the Cajun's body.

"How far are they?" Reid asked Logan.

"Couple hours, at least." Logan murmured.

"… Remy won't last that long!"

"I know, darlin'. Fer now, he's gonna hafta live with a hospital."

"A hospital?!" Reid nearly shrieked. "Once they find out he's a mutant, we may as well start planning his funeral!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Reid regretted them. He slapped a hand over his mouth and stared in shock after Remy. Logan paused beside him, but before he could say anything, Hotch was gripping Reid's shoulder.

"I won't let them neglect him." He said. "I promise." Slowly, Reid looked up at Hotch, tears in his eyes.

"I can't lose him…"

"I can't promise that you won't." Hotch admitted. "He's in bad shape. But I won't let them do anything that will harm him." And after a moment, Reid nodded and hurried after the gurney.

When they emerged, there was a furious scream. Dale had spotted them. He had spotted Remy on the gurney… and Logan walking beside it. And Logan, of course, had to give the guy a cocky smirk. Now Dale was fighting the agents restraining him, as were his co-horts, but they were soon loaded into a prison truck and were on their way.

On Hotch's orders, the paramedics allowed Reid to ride in the ambulance with them. When Hotch went to speak to Logan, the man was gone. And then a motorcycle burst out of the woods and followed the ambulance.

"Let's go." Hotch said, and the team headed out, leaving the cops to handle the crime scene.

In the ambulance, Reid clutched Remy's hand. He didn't hold it hard… it was horribly swollen and discolored, and Reid suspected that it was broken. But he held it nonetheless, staring at Remy's face. To the paramedics, he was simply fearing for the life of the victim, but Reid was desperately trying to get Remy to respond to his mental prodding. But there was nothing. He couldn't get anything from Remy's mind, which was usually so open to him… Remy was unconscious, and Reid was terrified that he would slip away at any moment.

But unconscious or not, Reid still pleaded with the man in his mind, hoping that maybe, just maybe, even if he couldn't respond, Remy could still HEAR him… He was also trying to pour his feelings into the empath. Love, need, fear of losing him… encouragement to fight… But the whole way to the hospital, not once were his efforts rewarded.

When they arrived, Garcia was there.

"I talked to Hotch. He told me to bring you these." And she pressed Reid's badge and credentials into his hands, trying not to look at the body being wheeled by. "Use them to stay with him. Apparently, Dale made some calls before you reached him. He's encouraging others all over the place to… finish what he started. Your friend is to be under guard at all times."

She watched as Reid's eyes widened, and then flashed red for a moment. "I won't let anyone near him." And he turned and looked at Logan who had just walked in. "Stay here. They won't let you back there, and if someone tries to come in to finish Remy off, you're the first line of defense."

Logan narrowed his eyes and growled, but nodded, watching as Reid hurried after the gurney. Garcia slowly lowered herself into a chair, watching Logan nervously, only to leap to her feet a few minutes later when the team came in.

"That way." She pointed, and Hotch and Morgan headed off. The others were looking at Logan, who was pacing and earning a lot of looks. But then, they heard shouts, and Logan turned and barreled towards them.

Hotch and Morgan pushed into the room just in time to see a doctor peeling open Remy's eye and then leap back, yelping "Jesus! It's a mutant!" and Reid stepping forward snapping "What's your point, doctor?! He needs help!"

"I'm not going NEAR that—"

"He's a human being." Hotch said firmly, his voice carrying. "And he's the only surviving victim of a pack of serial killers."

"Just stabilize him!" Reid commanded. The man glared defiantly. "You took an Oath!"

"Towards my fellow Man." The doctor snarled. "NOT mutants." The response to that was a metallic scrape, and then man gasped as there were suddenly blades to his throat.

"Alright, bub… you listen to me VERY closely." Came a low, dangerous growl. "He dies. YOU die. Nice an' simple." Now guns were being drawn.

"STOP IT!" Reid shouted. "Everyone just STOP!" He moved between Hotch and Morgan, and Logan and the doctor. "You two already know that won't stop him, don't even try!" And then he spun and wrapped a hand around Logan's wrist. "Put them away. NOW." Logan growled, but stepped back and sheathed his claws. Then Reid turned to doctor. "Now do your job. Or I'll arrest you and smack you with a malpractice lawsuit so fast your head will spin!"

The doctor and Reid GLARED at each other, and then the man cursed and turned, getting to work. As soon as he did, the nurses joined him. Reid clutched Remy's coat close and watched as they cut the remains of Remy's pants off. Reid immediately gasped and turned away, unable to stand the sight. Not only was Remy's leg broken in two places, but it looked like he had taken some vicious blows between the legs, too, if the discoloration and swelling were anything to judge by.

A moment later, a young man and a middle aged woman walked into the room.

"Dr. Carter." The woman said, her voice cold. "We'll take over."

"Gladly." Dr. Carter snapped, and immediately abandoned Remy and left.

"I'm sorry." The woman said, immediately stepping up to where Carter had been. "Dr. Morrison overheard the commotion and came to get me," she nodded to the young male doctor who was working with her. "I'm Dr. Katherine Alster. If we had known that the patient was a mutant, we would have been here and Carter would have been sent elsewhere. What are we dealing with? Name, age, any medical conditions, allergies, and what is his mutation?"

"… John Doe." Reid said immediately. "We don't know anything." Hotch's eyes immediately snapped onto Reid.

"Reid? Can I see you outside, please?" He asked tersely, and after a moment, Reid pushed off of the wall and followed, waving Logan to stay back with Remy, and Hotch indicated the same to Morgan. Hotch and Reid headed down into an empty room, and Hotch closed the door.

"Reid… there's no point in hiding it."

"Is there?" Reid asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Reid… I have to take them both into custody." Hotch said, his voice betraying his anxiety about how Reid would take this. "They're wanted criminals. And you've been consorting with them and…"

"You have to take me into custody, too." Reid concluded. "Not just because of that, but because of my unsubordination."

"I'll do what I can for you. I can overlook it, gloss over things in the reports."

"… What?!" Reid gasped.

"Reid… I'm not going to leave you to the government's mutant division. You don't deserve that."

"Neither do they, Hotch!" Reid debated. "The X-Men… they aren't criminals! They do the same thing WE do! Just for mutants! They protect. They do what they do because the government hasn't given them any other choice!"

"They could work FOR the government and—"

"Are you kidding?! You have no IDEA what the government would do, Hotch! You've never seen the files!"

"What files, Reid?"

"Classified military documents. They've been experimenting on mutants for YEARS. And they've TRIED to get mutants to work for them. And it always ends badly. For the mutants. Logan is walking evidence of it."

"What do you mean?"

"The adamantium that coats every bone in his body? That was a government experiment, Hotch. They didn't know if he would survive it. They didn't care. And they still hunt him to this day. So many of us have died because the government extended a hand of friendship, and then stabbed us in the back." Hotch was silent for a moment. "The X-Men do what they do, because no one else will. And they don't just protect other mutants from humans. They protect humans from mutants, too. Out of everyone out there in this fight, they're the only ones who are doing things RIGHT. But the government doesn't CARE." Reid dropped into a chair.

"Hotch… I can't let you take them. I won't. And… I'll go with them, if I have to…"

"Maybe…" Hotch said slowly, "that would be for the best." Reid looked up at him. Hotch moved to pull out a chair and sit across from Reid. "Spencer… I want to help. But I need to know… EVERYTHING."

Reid stared at him for a long time, then drew a deep breath and said "I trust you." Hotch nodded, understanding the unsaid message in that statement.

"… The X-Men are on their way here. They're coming for Logan and Remy. They have their own doctors. Mutant doctors who are better equipped to treat Remy. Where no one will have to worry about any anti-mutant attitudes or neglect."

"… I understand." Hotch said, and Reid could see in the man's eyes, that Hotch truly did. "But Reid… the cops all heard the mentions of the X-Men. The hospital is being put on lock down. They won't let you take your friend out."

"They can't stop us." Reid responded, his voice unwavering and full of confidence in that statement.

Hotch stared at him for a long time, and then said, "You plan to go with them."

"I can't leave Remy. Not now."

"… I understand. But that's going to be a lot… harder to explain to the Bureau…"

"Let me handle that." Reid told him. Hotch frowned and cocked his head, before slowly nodding.

"Okay… I presume the less I know, the better."

"Probably."

"Okay." Hotch said again, but before he could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. "Come in?" Morgan and Logan entered.

"They've taken him to surgery." Morgan said. "We can't stay with him there."

"I can." Reid said. "I can contain myself in light and—"

"Reid…" Hotch grabbed the young man's arm as he moved to follow. "This I'm putting my foot down on. Keeping you safe is going to depend on you keeping your mutation a secret."

"But—"

"He's right, darlin'." Logan nodded.

"Emily and JJ are staying right outside the surgery suite." Morgan said. "We'll be notified as soon as he's in recovery."

"What about the others?" Reid asked, looking at Logan.

"I'll let you know." Logan responded.

"We need to make some plans then." Hotch said. "Morgan, excuse us. Send Dave in."

"… Sure." Morgan nodded, eyeing them before leaving. A moment later, Rossi came in.

"I'm guessing I'm here as… objective advisor?"

"Shut up, Dave." Hotch said, his lips twitching. The four men sat down and Hotch stared at Logan.

"… Convince me not to turn you in."

Logan looked annoyed at that, but Reid's arm on his made him keep quiet and sit down.

"Tell them your story…" Reid said softly. "How you got the… adamantium. Tell them about Weapon X." Logan eyed him, then sighed and leaned back, and began to talk.


	12. Chapter 12

The team sat in the waiting room in silence, doing what the room was designed for… waiting. Most of their eyes were on the two figures standing side by side in the window. Spencer Reid, a tall and slender 6'1", stood staring out the window, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Beside him, the mutant that the team knew as Logan, and recently learned was the X-Man, Wolverine, also stared out the window, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Obviously powerful, he was packed into a compact, 5'3" body of hard muscle and metal. How these two men ended up lovers, the team didn't know. Even though they had heard the story, it still made no sense to them.

"How are they doing?" Reid asked, suddenly.

"Still waiting. They'll wait as long as they need to. She keeps checking in. Even though I'd let her know the moment we hear anything." Logan responded.

Remy LeBeau had been in surgery for nearly twelve hours, with numerous specialists being called in. Outside, it was dark and raining. Logan had let Reid know nine and a half hours ago that the X-Men had arrived to transport Remy to their own medical facility, but obviously, when he was open under the knife, they couldn't. They would have to wait until he was out of surgery. And so the X-Men waited, hidden a few blocks away. Logan was keeping in contact with Jean via her telepathy, but there wasn't much to pass on for now. The team knew something was going on, but only Hotch and Rossi knew what…

Another seventeen minutes passed, and then a middle aged woman walked in.

"Dr. Alster…" Hotch greeted, rising. Reid and Logan immediately turned. She gave them all a tired smile.

"We lost him a couple of times, but… your friend is a fighter. He made it through surgery." She told them.

"He's too stubborn ta up and die." Logan snorted as Reid let out a sigh of relief.

Dr. Alster smiled and nodded, warning "He's not out of the woods yet, though… He's in bad shape. For starters, he has pneumonia… we actually had to drain fluid from his lungs… He nearly drowned at some point, there was just too much to drain. He had to have inhaled it. We've set his nose and had to immobilize his broken jaw. There was a lot of internal bleeding, but we've found the sources and repaired them. He's getting a transfusion. It doesn't look like there was any permanent damage to his eyes, but his skull is fractured and there's some bruising to his brain… nasty concussion. But… it doesn't look like there's any lasting damage. Both of his hands are broken, all of his fingers… and so is his left wrist and his left arm has a spiral fracture. Both shoulders were dislocated. We've set them in place, but can't do anything more until the swelling goes down. His left leg is a mess… the femur has a hairline fracture, his knee was popped out of joint, the fibula and tibia were both broken and so were both ankles. There are… numerous fractures to his ribs and… one punctured lung. He also has a broken collar bone. Overall, with several lacerations, he's had just under two hundred stitches. His bruising is extensive, and covers almost all of his body… There are a few dozen small, electrical burns over his torso and to the genitals and… And he was forcibly sodomized with a foreign object."

Everyone jumped at the sudden roar, and then Logan's fist went right through the wall. The doctor flinched, violently. "Uh… There was bruising, abrasions, mild lacerations, but compared to the rest of him, relatively minor. Right now, our concerns are for infection, the pneumonia and… possible brain damage. Barring that, with the right physical therapy… he stands a very good chance at recovery. I know it doesn't sound like it, but… it could have been so much worse. They wanted to hurt him, but weren't aiming for permanent physical damage because…"

"Because they planned to kill him." Morgan finished. "They went for pain. Not lasting damage."

"Yes." Dr. Alster confirmed, nodding.

"Nothing's more permanent than a cut throat..." Rossi said softly. "And that's what was coming to him..."

"Until we got there." Hotch replied in a dark tone. "Then, it was a bullet to the brain..."

"… Can we see him?" Reid asked, softly.

"In a few minutes." Dr. Alster said. "It… really would help to know some personal medical information… I need to know who he is, though."

"He's not stayin'." Logan growled. "He's bein' transferred to a secure facility fer mutants."

"Sir… I know you're only concerned for your friend's well being…" Dr. Alster said, frowning. "But his condition is too fragile for him to be moved."

"Not fer us." Logan snorted.

"We'll discuss it later." Reid declared, in no mood for an argument. "I want to see him." And after a moment, Dr. Alster nodded and beckoned them after her. Reid and Logan were right on her heels as she lead them into the ICU. They stopped at a door that already had "Doe, John" on it and two armed security guards on either side of the door, and they stepped in. The team hung back, letting Reid and Logan go in alone for the time being.

Reid had to blink back tears the moment he laid eyes on Remy. The only feature he could even recognize was his hair. They had cleaned him thoroughly, thank God. His hair wasn't matted and tangled any longer. The rust colored strands fanned out over the pillow around his head. Reid shivered and hugged himself as he took in all the machines around his lover's bed, and all the tubes and wires connecting them to him.

Logan moved in first, scowling as he thought of how Remy would be reacting were he awake. But Remy wasn't awake. Hell, if it weren't for the machines, Remy wouldn't even be alive. The injuries to his body had been far too taxing on him. While Logan wasn't pleased at the sight of the tube down the Cajun's throat to help him breathe, he took comfort in the steady heartbeat that the little monitor was constantly announcing… the only reason it's obnoxious noise was tolerated… Various tubes and needles connected to bags and equipment that were systematically pumping Remy's body full of blood, fluids, and a plethora of medications.

Then Spencer was there, reaching out and gently brushing Remy's hair out of his face as he leaned in and gently kissed his forehead, just under a line of stitches at the hairline, and over the padded bandages that covered his eyes. Logan's hand was hovering. He had moved to clasp Remy's hand, but one hand was splinted and bandaged, and the other was in a full cast from elbow to fingertips. His left leg was casted from upper-thigh to his toes, and his shoulders and torso were heavily bandaged. Dark sutures stood out on his golden tan skin all over his body, and the small, shiny burns just punctuated the extensive bruising.

Logan finally rested his hand on Remy's bicep, watching silently as Reid ran his fingers through their lover's hair, and gently traced every contour of his face with his fingertips.

"Remy…" Reid called, softly. "It's me… Spencer." Logan sighed and closed his eyes as he listened to Reid. "We're here, Remy. Me and Logan. We're right here with you. You're safe now. And we're not gonna leave you. They're not gonna hurt you anymore. We're going to protect you, okay? It's our job. We take care of each other, right?"

Logan opened his eyes again and watched his lovers' faces, one horribly injured, and the other in emotional agony. "We're gonna take you home, Remy. Where you're completely safe and protected. No one will get to you there. And we're going to be right beside you until you wake up. I promise… but you HAVE to wake up, Remy. You have to come back to us… Please…"

Then, in desperation, he whispered "You know that place between sleep and awake, where you still remember dreaming?"

Nothing.

Reid bowed his head and took a deep breath, and as he continued to speak, Logan began to hear his words in his head, too. And he knew that Reid was telepathically projecting those words into Remy's mind, hoping to reach the man.

"You're a fighter, Remy. You always have been. And I know you've been hurt before. And maybe it's because I'm here, seeing it, but I feel like this is so much worse. I hate seeing you like this. And knowing that it was all my fault." Logan scowled and straightened up, but Reid kept talking. "And I know Logan thinks it's not, and I know you would tell me that it's not, if you were able to, but it IS. You came here to help me. That's why this happened. I never should have called you! I should have kept my damn mouth shut! If I had, you wouldn't be here!"

"If ya had, someone else would still be trapped there, bein' tortured." Logan growled.

"Maybe! But it wouldn't have been REMY!" Reid shouted, turning and fixing an agonized look on Logan. "You and he would have been back at the mansion, safe and… and in bed together right now! Happy! And I at least would have KNOWN that! But instead, we're all here! In the hospital! And Remy is…"

"Don't worry, darlin'," He said softly as the team slowly crept in, drawn by the raised voices.

"Don't worry?! LOOK AT HIM!"

"I see him. But I also know that when his BioKinetic Energies start ta regenerate, he'll start healin' up real quick."

"What if he… doesn't heal… fully?"

"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it. Fer now, let's keep positive until the furball tells us otherwise."

"Furball?" Hotch asked.

"… Nothing for you to know." Reid murmured. To the team's surprise, Hotch just nodded.

Things were silent for a long time, and then Garcia spoke up.

"So… this is him, huh, Butter Cream?"

Through the agony on his face, Reid allowed a smile to touch his lips.

"Yeah…" He said quietly, letting Garcia put a hand on his shoulder. "Guys… meet Remy… Remy… this is... my…" The team was silent, staring at Reid as he began to tremble, and his brave façade cracked around him. Then he broke. He bowed his head and doubled over as a sob tore its way out of his chest, and the tears fell like a flood. Garcia wrapped her arms around him and he turned and cried into her shoulder, letting her gently rock him and stroke his hair. Logan watched her silently as she crooned softly to his mate, trying to soothe him as best she could.

Fifteen minutes later, Reid had quieted. He sat with Garcia's arms around him, staring silently at Remy, the occasional tear still running down his face. Then the door opened and there was a soft clearing of the throat. Everyone looked, and Reid and Logan stood.

"Good morning." The red haired woman said, walking into the room, right past the officers guarding the door; they never even blinked. She looked over the team with her green eyes, and then settled them on Remy. A flash or horror crossed her face for a moment.

"… Can't prepare fer it. Even when ya heard it all." Logan murmured, and the woman nodded, moving to his side.

"Who are you?" Hotch asked, frowning. "Why didn't the security stop you?!"

"Because they didn't see me." She said, leaning over and picking up Remy's chart and glancing over it. "And I'm one of the doctors taking over his case."

"Is the furball with you?" Logan asked.

"I'm relaying everything to him and he's getting everything set up to transfer Remy. Whatever we unplug him from, we can plug right back in as soon as he arrives." She said, checking all of the equipment. "We'll take the small things with us. The blood, the fluids…" She turned back to the chart and looked it over once more. Then she froze. "Forcibly sodo—" She broke off, a hand flying to her mouth and fire blazing in her eyes. The room rumbled and the team froze.

"Whoa there, girl." Logan said, reaching out and gripping her arms. The room quieted and her eyes faded to green again, now sparkling with tears as she looked at Remy once more. Slowly, she lowered her hand.

"… How could they…?" She gasped, turning to Logan.

"Not now." He told her.

"Logan… they—" But she stopped, her eyes growing distant for a moment. "Oh no…"

"What?"

"… We need to move him. Now. I'm sending in Nightcrawler."

"What?!"

"We don't have time." She said, and quickly left the room, taking Remy's chart with her, calling "get him ready!"

Reid and Logan glanced at each other, and then immediately converged on Remy, starting to shut equipment off and unhook him.

Alarms started screaming, and Dr. Alster appeared in the doorway a moment later.

"What are you doing?!"

"Prepping him for transfer." Reid said.

"What?! He just got out of surgery!" Dr. Alster cried. "You can't move him!"

"Lady, we ain't gotta choice!" Logan snapped. "Now help us or get out!"

As Dr. Alster opened her mouth to argue, she heard a loud demand down the hall, "Where's the mutant?!" She turned, and her jaw dropped. Then she ducked into the room and closed the door behind her, beginning to join Reid and Logan in their work. When she unhooked him from the respirator, everyone waited. And there was a massive collective sigh of relief when Remy drew a shallow breath. The bags of blood and fluids were laid out on his chest, and then Logan was wrapping him up in the sheets and lifted Remy into his arms, just as the door opened.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Detective Sanders snapped, glaring around the room. "All of you out!"

"Detective," Hotch said, holding up his hands, "You—"

"The case is solved, Agent. We appreciate your help, but we'll take it from here. Both of those mutants are under arrest!" And then his eyes snapped to Reid. "And you… I don't know what you're playing at, but—"

He never got a chance to finish. Dr. Alster screamed and everyone dove for cover when the window exploded inward, and a dark figure leapt in.

"TAKE HIM!" Eyes raised in time to see Logan transferring Remy's body into the hands of a strange, dark blue creature with a lashing tail, and then with a strange sound and a puff of dark blue smoke—

The creature and Remy were gone, leaving the strange smoke and the smell of brimstone dissipating on the air.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sanders bellowed, and Hotch's eyes snapped to Reid. Reid met his look and nodded, then turned. "ARREST HIM!"

Reid reached out and grabbed Logan, pulling his wrists behind him and cuffing them and moving him towards the detectives and away from the team, saying "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a—"

BAMF!

The room was filled with the smoke again, and the creature leapt from the bed towards Logan, who Reid now had strategically in the middle of the room and away from everyone else.

"REID!" Morgan shouted, and lunged to tackle Reid out of the way. He grabbed Reid's shoulder just as the creature landed on Logan and then—

BAMF!

Silence. The smoke dissipated, and everyone stared around.

"… MORGAN?!" Garcia cried, horror in her voice. But she got no answer. Hotch and Sanders were now staring at each other in complete and utter shock.

The creature had disappeared again… along with Logan, Reid, and Morgan…


	13. Chapter 13

All eyes turned when the familiar sound and puff of dark smoke heralded the arrival of Nightcrawler. But the expectations were shattered a moment later. Nightcrawler wavered and collapsed to his knees, shaking his head slightly, and beside him Logan stumbled a bit. Behind Logan, Reid staggered and toppled over, and behind him… Morgan fell flat on his back. All four of them groaned.

"… You came back with an extra, I see." Said a dark skinned woman with white hair.

"It vas… unexpected, to say zee least…" Nightcrawler admitted, getting to his feet and rubbing his head.

"Get these things offa me!" Logan snapped, turning around to show his wrists encased in handcuffs.

"What did you do?!" Laughed a man with a red screened visor over his eyes. He raised his hand and adjusted the goggles, and a red beam shot out of them, blasting the handcuffs off of Logan. Logan then strode over to Reid, clasping his arms and pulling him to his feet. And then he looked down at Morgan, who was staring around with eyes wide and mouth agape.

"That was a dumbass move." He snorted, and Morgan struggled to his feet, looking past Logan to the crowd of people watching them.

"Nothing we can do about it now." Reid said firmly. "We have to move. And he'll just have to come along." And he grabbed Morgan's wrist and started tugging him towards the Blackbird. The others didn't even hesitate; they just boarded the jet. Morgan frowned, noting that they were all wearing uniforms like the one Logan wore, just with different style and flair.

"Whoa!" He blurted, putting on the breaks. "Whoa! These guys are… are…"

"The X-Men. Yes. Now calm down and come on!" Reid complained, tugging Morgan up the ramp.

"Reid, we—"

"You made your choice when you grabbed me, Morgan. I had everything under control!"

"Wait… you PLANNED this!"

"Minus you, yes." Reid said as they reached the top of the ramp and it closed behind them. Morgan stared around at all the mutants staring at him. "I'm not leaving Remy. Not now." And Reid moved to the side where Remy was. Morgan followed, if only to stick close to Reid. But he froze. Working on Remy was the red headed woman from the hospital and a great, big blue…

"… Furball?" Morgan asked weakly, looking at Logan as he passed.

"Yep." Logan nodded, moving up behind said "furball". "How's he lookin', Beast?"

"Stable, for now." The massive furry blue man said with a very cultured accent as he hung the bag of blood on a hook. "We're still going to keep him on a respirator for a time. But until we get home, he's going to have to breathe on his own."

"What if he stops?" Reid asked.

"Don't worry about that." The red haired woman said. "We're prepared for anything. If anything goes wrong, Nightcrawler can teleport us to the mansion, once we're close enough."

"I vill rest and focus." The teleporter announced, settling down into a seat. "So I am ready to do so if needed."

"Everyone strap in!" Called the white haired woman. Most of them obeyed.

"You heard Storm." The red head said, looking at Reid and Logan. They both hesitated, but sighed and moved to the seats lining the walls of the jet. Reid guided Morgan into following him. The man sat down and watched Reid buckle in, then did the same.

"Phoenix. You've got Gambit stable?" Called the man with the visor.

Morgan watched as Phoenix braced herself and lightly touched her temple with one hand, and Remy's bed with the other.

"Ready, Cyclops." She nodded.

"Take us home, Storm. Fast." Cyclops called, and the white haired woman nodded. Morgan clenched his fists as the jet roared to life and lifted off. Once they were airborne and flying smoothly, Beast unbuckled and joined Phoenix by Remy's bedside again. Reid sighed and began to relax. Then he noticed the others watching. And he smiled.

"Guys… I'd like you to meet my teammate, and best friend, Derek Morgan. Derek, you of course know who Beast is. That's Phoenix, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Colossus and Shadowcat." Morgan nodded to them, and they nodded back. "And of course, you know Logan is Wolverine." Logan snorted and pulled out a cigar.

"Don't you dare, Logan." Cyclops warned, glaring. Logan paused, glared back, and put it away.

"Where are we going?" Morgan asked Reid, quietly.

"To the headquarters of the X-Men." Reid responded. "They have a state of the art medical facility there, specifically designed for the medical treatment of a variety of mutants. When we get there, you can call Hotch so he knows we're okay. And we can see how bad the situation is…"

"No offense, Reid, but what you did was stupid."

"Not nearly as stupid as your screw up." Reid snapped back, frowning. "Between the two of us, I'm at least here intentionally."

"Which is stupid! These people are criminals, Reid!"

"We can discuss this later." Reid said firmly. "Right now, all you have to know is that I trust them with my life. Just as I would trust you."

Morgan frowned at Reid, but then sighed and relaxed back in his seat.

Their arrival was anticipated, and well attended. Apparently, Phoenix had "called" ahead and a lot of worried people were there. When they brought Remy down the ramp, a woman rushed forwards with a sharp cry of "REMY! Oh mah God… hold on, sugah…" Other people gathered and stared in horror, and some in obvious fury, when Remy was brought by.

"Move aside, this is no time for gawking!" Beast commanded. More than a little nervous at all of the mutants around him, Morgan stuck close to Reid, who seemed completely unconcerned with anything beyond Remy.

But then, the most shocking event of the day happened.

'Welcome, Agent Morgan. I am pleased to meet you. Spencer speaks very highly of you.'

To say that Morgan was startled was an understatement. He shot nearly three feet into the air with a strangled yelp, and toppled back into a very broad, powerful chest.

"Easy, my friend." Colossus said in a deep voice, his large hands steadying Morgan, who jumped away, looking around, alarmed, and then moved closer to Reid.

"What the hell is going on here, Reid?!"

"What?" Reid asked.

"I'm hearing voices, man!"

"Oh. Man or woman?"

"Man."

"Oh." Reid said, smiling and nodding. "What did he say."

"He… he said he was glad to meet me and you spoke highly of me."

"Then the polite thing to do would be to respond that it's nice to meet him too." Reid announced, cheerfully. Morgan gave him a look, and Reid sighed and shook his head. "It's the Professor."

"Wait… THE Professor?! The one that helped you?"

"Yes. This is his school." Reid said as they entered the MedLab. Morgan shuffled to the side and stood with his back to the wall, watching as Reid, Logan, Phoenix and the "Beast Dude", as Morgan was referring to him mentally, got together around the gurney.

"Phoenix? Please?" Beast asked.

"Yes." She nodded, and held out her hand, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Morgan's eyes widened when Remy's body suddenly rose into the air, floated a couple of feet to the right, and then came down to rest on a proper hospital bed.

"Rogue, remove that, please." Beast commanded, and the woman who had been so upset upon their arrival did as she was told.

"… Is he gonna be okay?" She asked.

"We're going to do our best, young lady, but for now, all we can do is wait." Beast said calmly. "Now, I need all non-essential personnel out, please." And he shot a glare at all the faces in the doorway. Reluctantly, they did as they were told.

Finally, it was just Morgan, standing awkwardly against the wall and watching Phoenix, Beast, Reid and Logan help get Remy all set up. Reid was hanging the bag of fluids, while Logan set up the blood pack to continue Remy's transfusion. Phoenix was making sure that all of the lines were still clear and in place, while Beast put Remy back on the respirator, saying "we need to take as much off of his body as we can, so that all his energy can go towards regenerating his BioKinetic Energy and healing…"

"… BioKinetic Energy?" Morgan asked from the wall. Reid glanced up and gave his friend a slight smile.

"It's his mutation. One of them, at least…" He said. "Remy can tap into the potential dormant energies in an inorganic object, and then convert it to kinetic energy."

"… What?" Morgan asked, making a face.

"The Cajun makes shit blow up by touching it." Logan snorted.

"… It's a bit more complex and elegant than that." Reid sighed, rolling his eyes.

"He touches something and, in his words, it go boom. Simple." Logan argued.

"You're telling me that he can… turn anything into a… a…"

"A bomb?" Logan asked, then smirked. "Yep."

"Not quite. I'll explain in more detail later, Morgan." Reid sighed, shaking his head as he settled the bedsheet over Remy's body, and then moved to stand at his shoulder and stare down at his face. A pained look appeared as he reached out and gently brushed his knuckles over the darkly bruised cheek. Logan turned and gripped Reid's shoulder, fixing a sad look on his face.

Then, the door opened and two men entered. Morgan eyed them. One was Cyclops, though he was now in civilian attire; khaki slacks, a dark blue button down shirt and broad glasses with red-pink lenses. The man with him was in a wheelchair, and fully bald. The man in the wheelchair headed straight over to the bed, a look of upset concern on his face as he looked over Remy.

"Well?" He asked.

"He's in bad shape, Professor." Phoenix murmured, injecting medication into one of the ports on Remy's IV.

"Indeed…" Beast said, peering through a pair of reading glasses as he looked over the medical chart that Phoenix had pilfered from the hospital. "But given his BioKinetics, barring any complications, I do believe that our Cajun friend will recover. That is not to say that he will be 100%... some of these injuries could be lasting…"

"What do you mean?" Cyclops asked.

"Both of his hands and both of his ankles were all but shattered." Beast said, turning and tapping at a keyboard. A moment later, and a wide bar dropped out of the ceiling and passed over Remy's body. X-Ray images of the man's body appeared on a large screen. "See?" Beast said, tapping the areas in concern. "His right hand looks okay, but I will not lie. I am concerned for his left hand. And his left leg is a very nasty break. He's going to have to take it easy through his recovery and go slow. And… we all know how he will take to that."

"The idiot's going to go on a larceny binge when he's cleared…" Cyclops sighed, pushing up his glasses and rubbing his eyes as if trying to stave off a headache.

"I have faith that Gambit will recover." Phoenix said, firmly. "I'm more concerned about the psychological damage."

"Why?" Scott asked. "After all he's been through…"

"The abuse he suffered at the hands of these men…" Phoenix said softly, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around herself. "Extended to sexual abuse."

The room was silent. Cyclops and Xavier just stared, stunned. Beast kept his features neutral, but fury broiled in his eyes. Logan was looking murderous, and Reid just looked… sad.

"Maybe… maybe he wasn't… conscious?" Reid finally offered, weakly.

"You know better than that…" Morgan found himself saying, and all eyes turned to the one human in their midst. Reid gave him an agonized look, and he winced. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay. I know." Reid nodded. "Uh… Derek? This is…

"You would know me as Professor X. I am Charles Xavier. Welcome to our home." The man in the wheelchair said. Spencer looked a bit startled that the man had given Morgan his real name.

"Agent Morgan." Cyclops greeted, offering an open smile and nod as they shook hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I wish this were under different circumstances." Morgan nodded back, and Xavier sighed and bowed his head slightly.

"As do I. But as Remy would tell us were he awake, we must play the hand we were dealt."

"Remy would also tell us to always make sure we have an Ace up our sleeve." Logan snorted, and the others smiled when he tacked on a barely audible "damn cheater…" But then they all turned to the comatose mutant.

"I know we all have a lot more on our minds, but… I seem to have two FBI Agents in this school." Xavier sighed.

"Agents that, as far as the Bureau knows, were abducted and are being held unwillingly." Reid nodded, and Cyclops pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fortunately, that can be easily rectified."

"How?" Cyclops asked.

"We call our boss." Morgan said with a shrug. "And tell him that's not the case."

Hotch was more than a bit on edge. Of course, he wouldn't let anyone see it. Not that he could ever fool one infuriating David Rossi… But now, he and his team were sat in separate rooms, being interviewed by Agents from the Boston Field Office in regards to the escape of two wanted mutants, and the abduction of two Agents. Strauss was here, and Hotch knew things were going to get a lot harder. The team had finally been allowed to gather, and were now facing down Strauss, her boss, Unit Chief Perry (another BAU Team) and the head of the Boston Field Office.

Detectives Sanders and McKennon had eagerly spilled the beans. One of the escaped mutants had been seen with the team on numerous occasions, and seemed to personally know one of the Agents on the team… one of the two who had disappeared. The term Double Agent had been thrown out… Reid had officially been accused of being a spy by the two detectives. The team had been outraged.

But now, it was time to face the music…

"Agent Hotchner." Strauss said, her tone hard. "The accounts of events that you and your team have given, don't completely mesh with some of the Detectives. And this needs to be addressed. You need to come clean. You need to tell us about this… mutant you were apparently working with."

"I honestly can't say much." Hotch admitted. "We know he was connected to the last victim."

"And to Agent Reid, apparently."

"… Apparently." Hotch sighed, nodding.

"Were you aware that Agent Reid was consorting with known members of a mutant terrorist faction?"

"… Not until this case." Hotch said. "And… Agent Reid firmly denies that their activities can be classified as terrorism."

Strauss opened her mouth to respond but at that moment, Hotch's phone went off. He dug it out.

"It's Morgan…"

The response was immediate. Within three rings, Hotch's phone was plugged into a speakerphone, and a TA was preparing a trap and trace. At Strauss' nod, Hotch answered.

"Morgan?"

"Hey Hotch."

"Where are you? Are you alright? Where's Reid?"

"I'm fine. Reid's right here next to me,"

"Hi, Hotch."

"And… We don't know where we are."

"Agent Morgan…"

"… Chief Strauss." Morgan greeted.

"What do they want?" She asked.

"Nothing." Morgan answered, and then Reid piped up, "Taking us was unintentional. And they do not intend to hold us hostage or for ransom. They've already offered to bring us back."

Everyone looked confused at that. At the silence, Reid continued.

"All they want is to take care of their own. The victim is a friend of theirs, and they don't trust his care to outsiders."

"And why not?" Strauss asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Morgan asked. "All due respect, Chief Strauss, but mutants face nothing but hostility, hatred and bigotry day in and day out. The first doctor that tended to the victim, had to be threatened with a Malpractice Lawsuit just to get him to treat him enough just to stabilize him. He was prepared to let the victim die. Just because he was a mutant. You should have seen how many of the cops were openly hostile to the idea of stopping the killers, once they found out the victims were mutants… Now, I don't exactly trust mutants myself. But seeing all of this, well… I don't blame them. These people we're with, doing what they've done… They do it out of self preservation. They literally have no other choice but to fight, and hide, all for their own survival."

The room was silent as Morgan's words were digested. Back at the Xavier School, Reid was giving the man a grateful look, as were the X-Men who were present and listening in. Morgan smiled back at Reid and gripped his shoulder, then turned his attention back to the phone when Hotch called "when are they bringing you back?"

"Actually, sir, they're not." Reid answered. "Morgan and I have elected to stay for a few days."

"What?!" Strauss blurted.

"The victim is still unconscious. And we'll need his statement." Morgan explained. "They've offered to bring us home, but have made it abundantly clear that it's a one-way ticket. Once we leave, there's no coming back. And they aren't going to maintain communication. The victim will NOT come in. None of them will."

"The only way we're getting the victim's statement is if we're here when he wakes up." Reid concluded. "Morgan and I are staying here, willingly, so that when the victim wakes, we can get it. And as soon as we have his statement, they'll bring us home."

"How do we know they can be trusted." Chief Strauss asked.

"You have my word." Came a third voice.

"Who is this?" Rossi asked.

"I'm called Cyclops. Field Leader of the X-Men. I apologize for the alarm we caused, taking your agents like that. It wasn't planned. Things happened a bit too quickly. Our only intention was to bring home our own people. We were just as startled as I'm sure you were, when they landed in our laps. But we have no desire to harm Agents Reid and Morgan. We just want to make sure no harm comes to our own. And we want this situation resolved as peacefully as possible."

"Then release our Agents and agree to bring in the victim when he is able." Strauss said.

"With all due respect…" Cyclops responded. "I think we all know that he would never come home. You would never let him. He stays here. If you want your interview with him, then it's done here. I'm not risking my people any more than I have to. Your Agents have discussed it with us, and we are all satisfied with this arrangement. Should you not approve, I will bring them home today. We have no quarrel with you, and we are grateful to you for the life of our friend. But I will do nothing to put it at risk again."

"You know I cannot negotiate with a terrorist group." Strauss said, and there was a laugh.

"This isn't a negotiation," Cyclops said. "You tell me to bring them back, I will. But you'll have to make your case without a statement. As it is, you'd probably have to make the case without your latest victim anyway. It's not like he'll appear to testify in court, and you could never subpoena him. You don't know who he is or where he is. As it is, you won't even know if he survives his injuries, because once I drop off your Agents, all communication will cease."

"I think we all know that's a lie." Strauss said, and Hotch held up a warning hand, looking tense. She frowned, but bit back what she was going to say.

"Morgan." Hotch called. "Reid. Thoughts?"

"They're trustworthy." Morgan called.

"Alright then." Hotch nodded. "But I want you to check in every day."

"You got it." Morgan said, and the call ended. Everyone turned to look at the Technical Analyst.

"Nothing. The signal was scrambled." He sighed. "They could have been calling from the moon for all I know."

Hotch just frowned… he wasn't sure it was safe for Reid to come home… hell… he knew it wasn't…


	14. Chapter 14

Morgan and Reid stared at each other over the phone in Morgan's hand, its screen going dark now that the call had ended.

"This isn't good…" Morgan said, and Reid nodded.

"I know."

"Reid…"

"I know!"

"What?" Cyclops asked.

"They know we're with the X-Men. And they know Logan is one of you. And they know I'm on friendly terms with him." Reid sighed.

"Reid has to stay here." Morgan said. "It's not safe for him to go back. Not now."

"Morgan, I have to." Reid sighed.

"Reid! They'll arrest you!"

"Not necessarily. They'll question me, yes, but…"

"Dr. Reid…" Xavier sighed, approaching. "Your friend is right. It's dangerous for you to go back."

"I know. But I have to. And I don't want to discuss it anymore." Reid said, putting his hands up and walking away, returning to Remy's bedside. Logan looked up at him, but Reid shook his head, "I don't want to talk about it, Logan."

The man nodded, and held out his hand. Morgan watched as Reid sighed, and laid his long fingers into the powerful hand. Then the pair silently turned and focused on Remy, Reid reaching up and gently carding his fingers through the russet strands, murmuring soft words of love, and encouragement for the man to wake up… To come back to them.

"Agent Morgan…" Cyclops said, looking at the man. "If you're going to be staying for a while, I'd like to get you settled. It's not much. For everyone's sake, I can't let you run loose…"

"I understand, man."

"To be perfectly honest, it's a… well… a holding cell." Cyclops sighed, and Morgan quirked a brow.

"… Alright then…" He said slowly, and Cyclops shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile, making Morgan chuckle. "Am I sharing with Reid, then?"

"No." Cyclops snorted. "Spencer stays in Remy and Logan's room."

"Does he visit often?"

"Not often enough." Cyclops sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "They miss him a lot."

"We never even knew about them." Morgan admitted, and Cyclops nodded.

"Spencer never would have told you. He loves them, and he'll protect them. To the death, if I'm being honest."

"I believe he would." Morgan nodded. "He's like that with the people he cares about."

"I know."

"You've known him a long time?"

"Well, yes. But not as well as you know him."

"Oh?" Morgan asked.

"He was here for just under a year before he headed to the Academy. And he was shy. Kept to himself. And to Remy. And Logan."

"Sounds like him." Morgan nodded. "I still can't believe that we… never even had a clue about this… this part of his life."

"You know just as well how private he is."

"I do…"

"Come on. Let me show you to your—"

"Cell? Lead the way!" Morgan laughed, and followed Cyclops out.

Neither Spencer, nor Logan budged from the bedside of their friend for the next four days. They would take turns bathing, ate at a table only a few feet away and would sleep in the other hospital beds, often with a hand reaching out to rest on Remy's bicep, or shin, or head… Often they would curl up together. Morgan spent a lot of his time in the infirmary, watching the pair. He was amazed at the closeness that the very distant Reid seemed to share with the mutant who seemed rough, tough, and almost cold. But when he was with Reid, he turned to the young man with such tenderness… He watched as Logan enveloped Spencer in his arms, stroked his hair and murmured soft words when Reid was unable to hold his composure as every minute ticked by without Remy waking.

On the second day, Remy was removed from the ventilator, and when he seemed to breathe well, he was left with a simple nasal cannula.

It was on the third day that true hope was given to them. When Morgan came to the infirmary, he sighed at the sight of Spencer and Logan curled up together asleep… well, Spencer was curled around Logan… much easier when he nearly had a full foot on the man. Either way, the pair had their arms reached out, fingers interlaced and resting on Remy's bicep.

When Morgan approached, he frowned and cocked his head.

"Hey…" He announced, Logan's eyes immediately snapping open. "His bruises…" Logan blinked, and sat up, looking at Remy. Then his own eyes widened.

"Spencer… Spencer!"

"Whah?!" Reid blurted, bolting upright, startled.

"Look!" Logan commanded, and Reid turned. Logan and Morgan were staring down at Remy. Reid looked.

"Oh!" He gasped. "The bruises! They've started fading!"

Sure enough, the black, purple, red and blue hues that had coated Remy's body had faded to blues, greens and yellows…

"Finally…" Logan exhaled, and grinning, Reid hugged the feral tightly.

"What?" Morgan asked. "How did they start to fade so quickly?!"

"Remy doesn't have Logan's healing abilities…" Reid said with a grin, "but his BioKinetic energies can speed up his healing to about twice that of a normal human. Injuries like this would have someone recovering for nearly a year… Remy will be back in top shape in a couple of months."

"Nice." Morgan nodded, smiling at seeing his friend's joyous relief. And he had to admit… he was very eager to meet this man that had captured his best friend's heart. Logan baffled him… maybe this Remy would make a bit more sense…

When the word had spread that Remy's energy was returning, there was an influx of people visiting. Morgan sat off to the side and watched, curious about all these people. Many of whom knew Reid. There was Rogue, a southern belle who apparently was Remy's ex-girlfriend. She and Reid seemed friendly enough, but Morgan could tell that they weren't overly fond of each other… in fact, he got the feeling that they were cordial with one another simply for Remy's sake. But he could respect that.

Storm had been one of the first to visit, and brought breakfast for Morgan, Spencer and Logan, and then stayed and chatted with Morgan for a couple of hours as she sat with her hand lovingly draped over Remy's shin. Beast came in and immediately went to examine Remy, making happy exclamations as he found signs of the Cajun mutant's healing beginning to accelerate. Cyclops, Phoenix and the Professor had been the next in. They had been quiet, gentle, considerate visitors. Phoenix had spoken softly to Remy, smiling and brushing his hair back out of his face. The professor had focused on Remy and closed his eyes for a time, then sighed and shook his head.

More people visited. Morgan logged their names away… code names, at least. They were careful not to use real names in Morgan's presence… Archangel, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Psylocke, White Queen (who Reid told to stay out of Morgan's mind the minute she walked in), Marrow, Wolfsbane, Jubilee, Havok and Polaris.

Frequently throughout the day, Reid would lean in, close his eyes and rest his forehead on Remy's. He would sit like that for a bit, and then sit back, shaking his head. Morgan guessed that Reid was trying to reach Remy with telepathy.

Damn. Reid. A mutant. It was taking some getting used to, but Morgan didn't care. He was still his best friend. But it did make him worry more… Morgan didn't know how to deal with it. When Reid was in the field, he worried for him, yes. But now, he would worry all the time. Worry that he would be found out… worry what would happen if he were exposed…

"I do not need this stress…" Morgan groaned to himself.

_'I can sense your distress, Agent Morgan._ Came the voice in his head, making Morgan jerk. _Please join me. Turn left out of the infirmary, third door on your right.'_

Morgan frowned, then stood and headed out the door. Reid was leaning in to check on Remy again, so the other Agent didn't see him go. Logan followed him with his eyes, but did nothing. When Morgan approached the door, it opened and several people left the room. Phoenix gave him a friendly smile as she passed, and Bishop looked him over, not looking particularly happy to see him. Cyclops nodded, and then Morgan took a deep breath, and stepped into the room.

"Good afternoon." The Professor greeted with a smile, and Morgan gave him a nod. "Please, sit down. There were a few things I would like to discuss with you." Morgan eyed him, then moved to a chair, keeping one between himself and the professor, and sat down.

"Alright." He said.

"I can feel your concern for your friend." Xavier said. "May I ask what you are concerned about?"

"… What will happen to him if the Bureau…"

"Finds out he's a mutant?"

"Yeah."

"… That's a very difficult question to answer, my friend." Xavier admitted, leaning to the side and propping his chin up on his fingers. "I believe you may be able to answer that better."

"… There are a couple of things that could happen. Few of them good." Morgan said. "And… I don't know if I would be able to help him."

"I understand your concern very well. I felt it every time I looked at that young man while he lived under this roof, and knew what he was planning on doing when he left. But… I believe you could help him more than you know. And perhaps help more than just him."

"What do you mean?"

"Agent Morgan… do you believe that we, the X-Men… are terrorists?"

Whatever Morgan had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"I uh… I'm afraid I really don't think I'm qualified to answer that." He finally said. "I know very little about your people and what they do. Or… what they are perceived as doing."

"I see…" Xavier nodded.

"What I do know," Morgan continued, "is that Reid trusts you. Implicitly. And he stands firm that the X-Men are… truly fighting for what is right."

"The problem is," Xavier nodded, "not everyone agrees on what is right." Morgan just stared at him. "How should that be decided?"

"… The law." Morgan answered.

"Yes." Xavier agreed, nodding. "And there are times when the X-Men do operate outside of the law."

"I get that I'm supposed to be asking 'why'?" Morgan observed, looking amused. Xavier smiled.

"Because those who are supposed to enforce the law, turn their heads, turn their backs… turn a blind eye… when mutants are the victims. The X-Men act when the police fail, or refuse to act."

"And once they do," Morgan continued slowly, "the police and the anti-mutant activists, are quick to point it out."

"Exactly. While the inactivity that we came in to cover for, gets swept under the rug…" Xavier nodded.

"What does this have to do with my being able to help Reid?"

"To help all mutants, Agent Morgan." Xavier said.

"What can I do?"

"You can help us open a channel of communication. With the right people…"

Morgan stared at him for a long time, and then, slowly, he grinned.

"I think you came to the right man." He said and Xavier cocked his head, questioning this. "As it just so happens, I have a friend in Counter Terrorism that would be willing to hear me out on this. And she cares about Reid as a friend too. She's worked with our team. Her name is SSA Jordan Todd…"

The initial finger twitches want unnoticed beneath the cast and bandages… For nearly two hours, they went unnoticed. But as a mind slowly became aware of the pain, it found itself being drawn up and out of the eternal darkness that it had fallen into. But as it began to awake, the fear made itself know. The fear of more pain. Cruelty. And maybe death. If he was going to die, he just wanted to get it done. No more of this waking up in limbo.

Then, distantly, he heard a gasp. And then there was a flood of warmth into his head. His body twitched under the sudden onslaught of… sheer beauty. Love, joy, relief, encouragement, delight… It filled him to the brim as he was wrapped up in a mental embrace, held close, soothed, caressed… And then he realized that he recognized the touch…

Spencer.

And then came the soft words in his head… '_You know that place between sleep and awake, where you still remember dreaming?'_

Remy felt joy rise as Spencer spoke those words to him… those words that had become special to the three of them… words that were used in greeting, in comfort… in affection… Remy could only answer.

_'Dat's where I'll always love you. Dat's where I'll be waitin'.'_

When his answer was barely whispered into Spencer's mind, Remy was rewarded with a surge of relief washing over him and he began to hear the soft, loving voice, calling out to him, shaking in happiness. And then another voice, low, gravelly… And oh, so beautiful.

Logan and Spencer. They were with him. Had he died, then? Was he ready to open his eyes and see paradise? And then he heard the command.

"Come on, Remy… please… open your eyes."

He tried. Oh, how he tried. But he couldn't. He tried to speak. But he couldn't. Nothing would respond. He was distressed, and then felt fingers in his hair and a soft sound of dismay.

"Don't be upset…" He heard Spencer tell him. "Be patient. Keep trying. It will come."

"Ya sure he's awake?" Remy heard Logan ask.

"Yeah. Here…" And then, Remy felt another presence in his mind. And he smiled. He heard the soft laugh by his side and Spencer said "See?! He felt you and he's smiling! He's waking up!"

"C'mon, Cajun…" Logan encouraged now, resting his palm on Remy's chest. "Come back ta us, kid."

_'Not a kid…'_ Remy projected the thought, annoyed. '_Almost thirty, me. Well… I t'ink…'_ And then he heard jubilant laughter from both Spencer, and Logan.

"What is it?" another voice asked… Storm… his Stormy was there.

"He said he's not a kid." Logan chuckled.

"Morgan still calls me a kid, Remy." Reid laughed.

"That's cuz you are!" A strange voice called.

"Shut up." Reid snorted, and then said "And you know, Remy… compared to Logan, you and I ARE kids… He's pretty much robbing the cradle." Logan snorted, and Remy's lips twitched in a smile, then…

_'Or you an' Remy be robbin' de grave, _cher_.'_

Logan let out a roaring laugh at that one, and Reid sent a jab of annoyance to Remy.

"What did he say this time?" Ah… Scotty was there too!

"He said I ain't robbin' the cradle… that those two are robbin' the grave." Logan grinned.

"Oh, ewww…" Jubilee groaned, and Remy just knew she was crinkling her nose in that way that she did. But then he focused and took a deep breath, wincing and letting out a dry, weak moan at the residual ache in his ribs. Then his tongue darted out of his mouth, trying to wet dry lips, but his tongue was so dry, it didn't do much.

"You want some ice, Remy?" Spencer asked. Remy tried to speak, but in the end, he just twitched his head in what could have been a nod.

"Open up, Sugah." Came Rogue's gentle voice, and Remy obeyed. Then crushed ice was in his mouth, and he almost gasped at how cold it was, but he let it melt over his tongue and pool in the back of his throat before he slowly swallowed. He opened his mouth again in silent request, and it was quickly granted. He did this a few more times before he kept his mouth closed and just lay quietly. Now, he began to really concentrate on his body.

Spencer held a hand up to the group to keep them silent. Remy started from the bottom and worked his way up. He started with his stiff and aching ankles.

_'Broken. Both of them. But they're already healing.'_ Reid supplied. Remy gave a mental nod of understanding and thanks, and made a note of the feeling of his left leg being… encased. '_Cast from your hip to your foot.'_ Reid explained, and at Remy's startled mental exclamation, he listed '_both bones in your lower leg were broken, there's a fracture to your femur and your knee was dislocated.'_

'... Merde… _dey fucked me up good, _non?' Remy thought to Spencer, who had to bite back a wave of anger and sadness. Remy kept going to his pelvic area, mentally frowning. Reid remained silent, and he could feel his anxiety._ ' Yo' don't hafta say it, _cher_.'_ Remy said calmly. '_Remy remembers. De family jewels took a few nasty hits. An' Gambit didn't scare like dey wanted 'im to when dey made 'im… get intimate wit' de barrel of a gun down dere…' _

He winced at the horrified gasp that came from Reid, and the sudden enraged roar from Logan…

"What?! What is it?!" He heard Jean asking, but neither man spoke.

_'_Desole_…'_ Remy mumbled mentally. '_Didn't mean t' upset de two o' you… S'alrigh'… Remy had worse.' _And then a wicked chuckle was heard in their minds followed by a suggestive drawl, '_An' better…'_ He heard Reid bark out a slightly hysterical sounding laugh through what had to be tears.

"Only you, Swamp Rat…" Logan rumbled, affection under the aggravation in his voice. Everyone watched as Remy's lips twitched in a little smile again, and this time, his head rolled slightly towards Logan, who raised his hand to cup the Cajun's cheek. But then Remy got back to it. His stomach was achy…

_'A lot of deep bruising and contusions… electrical burns.'_ Reid told him. '_You had surgery to repair internal bleeding through your abdominal cavity._ _Almost all of your ribs were cracked, and you had a punctured lung. Both lungs were filled with fluid that they had to drain. You have pneumonia. You got a big blood transfusion.'_

_'Can't believe I survived surgery, me.'_

_'… You flatlined. Twice.'_ Reid admitted, and Remy gave him the mental equivalent of blinking in surprise._ 'You have several hundred stitches, but some have already been able to come out. You have a broken collar bone,' _Remy mentally nodded as he felt it, '_and both shoulders are dislocated. Hank says they may have never completely healed, because of how you were kept hanging, but…'_

_'Remy got his mutation to t'ank?' _Remy asked.

_'Yes.'_ Reid confirmed. '_Your left arm has a spiral fracture and your left wrist is broken. Both hands were broken and—'_

_'All Remy's fingers.'_ Remy finished. '_Yeah. Remember all dose, too…'_

_'The doctors were able to repair the damage and Hank thinks you'll make a full recovery with the exception of the index finger on your left hand. There may be nerve damage. And the bone is a bit twisted… they couldn't get it set right. But you'll still be able to use it. Just… maybe not 100%. May need an additional surgery later.'_

_'Well… we cross dat bridge when we come to it, _oui?' Remy sighed. '_How 'bout de money maker?'_

"Which one?" Logan snorted, and everyone watched when Remy's body shook, his lips parted and his chest heaved in a weak laugh, followed by his entire body going stiff, and the man groaning in pain.

'Connard!_ How 'bout you leave de jokin' t' po' Remy?!' _The Cajun complained, and Logan grinned. '_Now… t'ink we covered everyt'in' but de neck up… so… Spencer?'_

_'Your jaw and nose were broken, but they're healed up well already… you had a fractured skull, bad concussion and possible brain damage.'_

_'Brain damage?!'_

_'Calm down, honey…'_ Reid soothed, running his fingers through Rey's hair again. '_I'm sure you're fine. We'll figure it out. Now, your eyes were pretty swollen and bruised, but they appear to be fine. Can you try and open them again for me? Just so Hank can make sure?'_

Remy was silent. Everyone was silent. Morgan peered down over Storm's shoulder, curious.

Remy sucked in a breath, wincing, and his brow furrowed. And then, his eyelids fluttered. He could feel Spencer's excitement building. His eyes cracked open, and he immediately hissed and snapped them shut again.

"… Turn off de damn lights!" Came the dry, raspy complaint. Jean hurried to do so, shutting off the bright lights overhead, so Remy wasn't looking into the lights, but leaving on the other lights around the room.

"Alright, Remy." She called, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. Morgan's eyes widened when he saw them… the whites of his eyes were… well… BLACK. And the iris was a dull red. They were unnerving, but upon seeing them, a brilliant smile spread over Reid's face.

"Welcome back." The young agent said quietly, and those eerie eyes turned to meet Reid's gaze.

"… Hey dere, _petit._" Came the weak response, but Morgan recognized the voice immediately as their anonymous informant.

"You had us shittin' bricks, Gumbo." Logan rumbled, and Remy smiled slightly.

"Adamantium bricks, Wolvie?"

"… Smart ass."

_"Oui_." Remy smiled, then winced as he took another deep breath.

"… it's okay." Spencer told him. "Go back to sleep if you need to."

"… How long… been sleepin'?" Remy asked, his eyes drifting closed again.

"It's been five days." Spencer said. "We brought you home four days ago."

"Soun' like Remy got 'nough sleep."

"Remy has a lot to recover from." Hank snorted, finally pushing Reid out of the way and saying "Everyone out!" Reluctantly, everyone left the room but Xavier, Cyclops, Reid and Logan, and they all stood well out of the way for Hank to give Remy a good look over, asking questions the whole time.

Finally, he turned to the others and smiled. "He's asleep." Hank said. "But he's going to be alright. For now, I think it's time for all of YOU to get some rest in a proper bed." And he looked specifically at Logan and Spencer. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to put my foot down," he said as he literally pushed them out of the infirmary and into the hallway where the others were all gathered. "YOU two are NOT spending the night here again. Now that we know Gambit is out of danger and on the road to recovery, you two are going to go upstairs, have dinner with the others, and then sleep in your OWN room. Remy will understand." He looked at the others. "I expect all of you to make sure this is enforced."

Slowly, the X-Men turned and looked at Spencer and… Wolverine. Who was glaring at them, just DARING them to try it…

"Reid." Morgan said softly, and Spencer looked at him. "Go. I'll sit with Remy tonight." Everyone looked surprised, but Spencer just stared at his best friend, and nodded.

"Thank you. But Morgan?"

"Yeah?"

"No interrogations if he wakes up."

"… No promises." Morgan grinned, and Spencer smiled back, then nodded and walked away, Logan close by his side.

"I will keep you company while you watch over my brother." Storm said with a smile.

"… Brother?" Morgan asked, confused. Storm's smiles widened and she laid a hand on Morgan's arm, steering him back into the MedLab. "It's a long story."

"We've got time." Morgan pointed out, grinning.

"Indeed we do…"


	15. Chapter 15

Dinner was a burrito casserole. Reid ate without tasting, all his thoughts focused on Remy in the sublevels. Some of the others tried to keep him and Logan engaged in conversation, but the pair were less than attentive. Both ate just enough to satisfy Jean, and then headed outside. Spencer perched on the stone balustrade of the patio next to Logan, who lit up a cigar. The pair were completely silent as they watched the sun set over the lake.

Spencer was monitoring Remy every minute over the telepathic link, but the Cajun remained peacefully asleep. He could feel him, distantly… not like the horrible dark hole that had been there when he was unconscious. He blinked himself back into awareness at the hand on his shoulder, then turned and tilted his head to the side, resting his cheek on Logan's hand for a moment, before reaching up and drawing the man's hand down his chest and to his stomach, so that the feral's arm was draped over him. Then he rested his head on Logan's bicep, his long fingers clutching the man's arm, lightly. Logan stepped closer, pressing his chest against Reid's back, and curled his other arm around Reid's shoulders from the other side. He let his eyes drift closed as he just savored the feeling of holding his lover, and the relief that both were feeling.

Remy was going to be okay.

It wasn't until the chill in the air drew a shiver from his Vegas Boy that Logan finally said "Let's go in, darlin'." Silently he released Reid, who slid from his perch and followed the other inside and up to the third floor, dodging five rambunctious teenage boys on the stairs. Reid smiled at them… they had been the first students of the school he had ever laid eyes on… only about twelve years old at the time… now, Michael, Seth, Adam, Noah and Caleb were eighteen. The same age Reid had been when he had come to the school. They had graduated the previous May, and were still trying to decide what to do… it seemed that they were all interested in becoming X-Men…

Reid frowned when suddenly Adam took flight, his uncontrollable knee length violently orange hair a banner behind him. Reid's eyes widened.

"His inhibitor bracelets?!" He gasped, looking after the young man. Logan smiled.

"He only needs them when he sleeps, now." He told Reid, then bellowed "NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE!" But Reid just kept smiling. Poor Adam had a horrible mutation, and it came early… it was discovered when half of his class in the sixth grade were diagnosed with Radiation Poisoning, and the classroom tested hot... Adam was found to be the source. The poor boy was a walking nuclear reactor and didn't even know it until the government had come for him. But in transit to a secure facility… Magneto came for him, too. The X-Men had intervened, and managed to rescue several mutants being transported, two of them being Adam and Noah, who could manipulate gravity… and was now currently flying after Adam, despite Logan's roar.

Adam had been unable to control his mutation, and had to wear inhibitor cuffs at all times, for the safety of everyone in the school… or anywhere else he went. The only time they ever had come off, had been in the Danger Room.

Spencer was glad to see the young man happy, free of the cuffs, and able to control his power.

"Come on… I don't want to see them misbehave anymore." Logan grumbled.

"Why?"

"Because I'll have to do something about it and I don't have the energy."

"They're still trouble, huh?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Logan snorted. "Only one that isn't is Caleb, but he's guilty by association."

"Logan!" Reid laughed. "Poor kid!" They reached the third floor, but as they turned to head to their room, there was a commotion behind them.

"Logan!" They turned. It was one of the boys, Michael, with long black hair and yellow, hawk-like eyes, which were gleaming with hope. "Remy woke up?"

Logan turned to face him and nodded. "Yeah, kid. He did." Michael's body relaxed and his face split into a grin.

"Oh, thank God… When can we visit?"

"Sorry kiddo. X-Men only right now. He's still in bad shape."

"… Oh." Michael mumbled, looking crestfallen.

"We'll tell him you asked about him, and send him your well wishes." Reid said with a smile, and Michael gave him a grateful look, nodding, then darting over to the banister and hurtling it, dropping out of sight…

"DAMMIT, MICHAEL!" They heard a female student shriek, followed by a dull THWACK that sounded like a heavy book hitting flesh, and then "OW! What the hell, Des?!"

Logan chuckled. "Destiny Grant." He muttered. "His ex-girlfriend. Sounds like he nearly landed on her. She's not happy with him as it is…"

"Why not?" Reid asked as they headed to their room, the sounds of teenage boys laughing following them.

"Well… After they broke up, he hooked up with someone else real quick."

"Oh?" Reid asked, eyeing the look on Logan's face… whatever he was holding back apparently was just priceless.

"Yep. With Noah." He said. Spencer stopped midstride and blinked several times.

"… Oh." And he scrambled to catch up, now chortling to himself.

"Damn… that fight coulda given Rogue and Remy a run for their money when THEY were still together." Logan reminisced, looking way too amused. Reid grinned and shook his head. "Livin' here with a bunch of mutants, so many of them in fuckin' puberty... it's like a damned soap opera on acid." Reid gave Logan a funny look at this comparison that sounded a bit out of character for the man… and a bit more like Remy. But Logan wasn't done.

"Scott actually busted some of the students for trying to get in touch with some big producers over at CBS or something… trying ta pitch the idea of a reality TV show… 'Mutant High'…"

"No way!" Reid blurted, eyes widening. "… Seth and Michael were in on that, weren't they?"

"We suspected, but could never prove it." Logan chuckled, opening the door to their room. "But five students earned detention fer three months… served either with Scott, Ororo, Warren or me."

"Uhg… tell me who they are so I can offer them my sympathies." Reid snorted, and Logan grinned again, stepping into their bedroom, Reid following.

"What made it even better," Logan added, looking delighted, "was when Remy told Scott, in front of everyone, mind ya, that the show probably woulda been a big hit and earned the school a lotta money that we could use badly."

"Oh shit…" Reid groaned, covering his face over his hands. "What did he do to Remy?"

"Nothing!" Logan laughed. "Scooter won't admit it, but he has no way ta enforce any penalties with our Cajun! He don't scare the kid a lick! Remy don't take him seriously unless it's something genuinely serious!"

"Remy's definition of serious doesn't usually mesh with Scott's…"

"Exactly, darlin'. Now, go git yerself a shower. I'm gonna smoke again."

"OUTSIDE."

"I know, I know…" Logan sighed in a harassed tone, heading for the narrow, wrought iron ledge that served as a balcony, and calling "yer as bad as Chuck and Scooter! Don't even get me started on Blue..." over his shoulder. He lit up and took a deep drag, smiling slightly as he looked over the darkening grounds. He could hear shouts, screams and laughs coming from the woods, and he knew that the older kids were out playing capture the flag. And Nightcrawler was apparently with them… Logan's keen ears could pick up the sound of the man's teleportation comings and goings. Odds were, Kurt was the captain for one team, and another X-man was likely captain for the other. When the wind drifted over him, Logan sniffed. Ah. It was Wolfsbane. Yes, Rahne was quite good at that game…

A moment later, and he saw a puff of smoke over the trees as Nightcrawler appeared, a student dangling in his grasp. He tossed the student, who flipped and twisted in elegant control over the trees, before plunging down amongst them. A great cheer went up, accompanied by shouts of anger and frustration, and Kurt's laughter carried back… Odds were, he had just tossed Michael (there were very few students who could pull off something like THAT move he had just seen) and they had captured the flag. A moment later, he saw a couple of students flying over the trees, in a mock battle of anger… smiling, Logan finished his cigar and stepped back inside, closing the French doors and beginning to strip for his own shower.

Spencer emerged a moment later in a towel, and Logan gave him a little peck on the cheek as they passed one another. He started the shower and stepped right in, as the water was still warm from Spencer. He bathed slowly, for the first time in over a week… ever since Remy had gone missing, he bathed as fast as he could to get back to either finding his Cajun, or sitting by his bed. Spencer had done the same thing, but he had also rushed through his shower tonight. He was not relaxing. He was still anxious. Afraid.

Logan gave a long sigh and sped things up a bit, though he really wanted to take his time. But he finished, shut off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist as he stepped out of the bathroom. Spencer was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows braced on his knees and his head in his hands. Logan frowned, sniffing the air. He could smell the saline, and hear the soft, huffing breaths of suppressed sobs.

"… Spencer?" He called, striding across the room. He slid onto the bed beside Spencer, and grunted when Spencer slumped over on him. He wrapped his arms around the younger man. "Hey… hey hey hey… what is this?" But Spencer didn't answer. He just broke down and cried. Logan looked alarmed, and even looked around as if looking for Remy to help him. He was NOT good with tears. Hell, when someone was crying, he usually took it as his exit cue and would do just that, rapidly. But he was stuck now. "… Aw, hell. Uh… Spencer?" He pat the boy awkwardly on the back, still looking around as if someone would miraculously enter his room and take over. But of course, no one had the balls to just enter his room, other than Spencer and Remy, of course. But Spencer was the current problem, and Remy… well… he probably wasn't going to be leaving Hank's lab for at least a week. And even then, he would only be released because he would probably be threatening to start blowing shit up by then…

Logan's mind raced. What would Remy do?!

Taking a deep breath, Logan slowly moved to lie down on the bed, taking Spencer with him. He held him close, running his hand over Spencer's hair and grumbling to him, quietly. He didn't have Remy's smooth, velvety tone… his voice was hard and rough… But the pair had assured him multiple times that he could make some very soothing sounds… Remy had even called it a purr, once. Logan had almost taken his head off at that, yes, but he HAD said it… Logan tried to find that noise… but apparently it wasn't something he did consciously. But whatever he did do, it seemed to have Spencer slowly calming down. Of course, the boy was probably calming down on his own, but Logan liked to think that he had helped.

After Spencer had gone quiet for a bit, Logan finally dug up the courage to speak. "… Spencer?"

"… mm."

"Ya alright, darlin'?"

"… He's gonna be okay…" Spencer breathed, and Logan closed his eyes.

"Yeah kid…"

"I never should have called him."

"Don't start." Logan growled. "If ya hadn't, another mutant would be dead in his place, and they would've taken another by now. Ya know we only found him so fast because of those… telepathic link ups ya managed ta get."

"Well, yeah, but—"

"He's gonna be okay. And those guys are goin' ta jail. It's alright. It's not yer fault. And I don't wanna hear any more about it. Now… what else is bothering you."

Spencer blinked several times in surprise. Whenever he had been upset, Remy had always been the one to talk him down. Logan would just sit silently aside, separating himself from the tears but still managing to let his presence be known… his love, his strength… well… he certainly had a different way of calming someone down than Remy did…

"… I don't want to talk about it."

"I don't think so, kid. Spill."

Yup… VERY different. With a sigh, Spencer said "I'm afraid of what he's going to tell us when we… interview him. And what's going to happen when I go back."

Logan just nodded, and then said "Whatever he's gonna say, you've heard worse. And ya know he's gonna be okay, so hearing it, well… it's okay. The Cajun is the one tellin' ya, so obviously the bad story has a happy ending, right?" Spencer blinked, and found himself smiling at the Wolverine's logic. He sure was one of a kind… "And as fer when ya go back… if the government pulls any kind of stupid shit… you know Remy and I will come fer ya. No matter where they have ya. I don't give a fuck if they send ya to Guantanamo. We'll get ya back. And ya know the X-Men will help, too. So let 'em do their worst. This entire fuckin house of freaks has got yer back, kiddo. And dontcha EVER forget it."

Spencer sat up, absolutely beaming down at Logan, though it was more in humor than in comfort. "… I love you." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yer laughin' at me." Logan growled, scowling.

"Seriously." Spencer laughed. "You and Remy are SO different, and I just…" He slid closer, nuzzling Logan's chest. "I wouldn't change a damn thing about either one of you. You're both just so… perfect." Logan softened at that, and smiled when Spencer lifted his head again and smiled, saying "thank you."

"Any time, Nightlight. Wouldn't change a thing about ya either. Well… other than…"

"… Other than what?" Spencer asked, narrowing his eyes and putting a warning in his tone.

"Yer abysmal lack of visitin' us." Logan snorted. Spencer blinked a few times, and then looked away, guilty. "Hey hey hey… none of that… Y'know… it's not like me an' the Cajun visit you a lot either."

"That's different." Spencer argued, waving his hand irritably. "It's one thing for me to come see you guys here. It's another for a couple of known mutant terrorists to show up on the doorstep of a federal agent in an area full of federal agents."

"An' ya know perfectly well that he an' I can get in without being seen."

"I'm not willing to take that risk." Spencer said, firmly. "You two mean too much to me…" And he kissed Logan fiercely. Logan's eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly wrapped his arms around Spencer and pulled him in close, feeling the younger man's desperation in the kiss. The need to reconnect with his lover, to reassure himself that everything was okay. And Logan was more than happy to give him that. He drew Spencer in close, secure him with an arm around his shoulders and hips, and then rolled them, guiding Spencer to lie back on the bed while Logan hovered over him, and not once did they break their kiss.

"He still asleep…?" Logan finally murmured, reaching out and rummaging in the drawer by the bed.

"Deeply, yes." Spencer whispered.

"Is it an easy sleep?"

"Yes. He's calm and quiet. His dreams are serene, if he is dreaming at all." Spencer confirmed, once he had probed at Remy's mind a bit. It made him smile… even in sleep, Remy's mind recognized him, and his shields seemed to purr and nuzzle up to Spencer's psyche in welcome as he delicately slid past them, and then smoothed them down with loving care when he withdrew.

"Good." Logan nodded, and Spencer knew the man wasn't asking out of fear of Remy waking and feeling what they were about to be up to… he honestly wanted to hear that Remy was resting well, free of nightmares and the distress that they brought. But now, he had to do what he could to ensure that his Spencer was able to have that kind of rest, too. He had to remind him that all was well. That he was safe, and loved.

Spencer soon found himself drowning in the passion of the man above him. Logan was known for his passion, but not many were aware that it extended into the bedroom. He was such a natural fighter, many never even considered he was an equally powerful lover. He had a confidence born of age, no matter how many of those years he couldn't remember. They were still there, and with it, the wisdom of a man who had come to realize that the perceptions of others didn't matter. He was who he was, and he was comfortable with that. He was comfortable in his skin, and he wasn't going to bother tip toeing around anyone. To some, that made him damned obnoxious, abrasive and inconsiderate. For those close to him, who truly knew him, it was something that earned him admiration and respect. From Spencer and Remy, it had earned him unconditional love and appreciation. And he returned that with everything that he had.

Tonight, Spencer was seeing a side of Logan that he rarely saw. Usually, when he was able to get together with his lovers, they seemed almost frantic to pack as much into the small amount of time they had. Their love making was fast, furious, and repeated often… Logan had a lot of skill in that area, and seemed to delight in watching Spencer and Remy both fall apart under his hands, clinging to one another as they rode out the pleasure that the feral overwhelmed them with, often simultaneously.

But tonight, Logan was handling Spencer with an uncharacteristic tenderness and reverence, soothing him with a gentle caress and soft, reassuring words. He kissed away every doubt and reservation that Spencer gave voice to, until nothing passed his lips but the little moans and sighs that betrayed his tranquil pleasure at his lover's hands.

At the end of it all, Spencer sighed as Logan withdrew, and blinked when the man fumbled in the drawer and produced a wet wipe, cleaning them both of the evidence of their copulation. At Spencer's questioning look, Logan said "Rems. He didn't like me goin' ta the bathroom ta get a wet towel. Apparently, him bein' a bit chilly without me fer a few seconds is unacceptable." Spencer chuckled and Logan rolled his eyes tolerantly as he settled back into bed, drawing the blankets up over them. Spencer snuggled in close, hoping Logan would be willing to be the Little Spoon, but the feral situated himself on his back and drew Spencer in to lie on his chest within the safe circle of his powerful arms. Spencer smiled. Logan was feeling the need to protect him tonight, and he couldn't be protector if Spencer was curled up around HIM.

"I love you, Logan."

"Love you too, Darlin'. Get some sleep. No nightmares."

"No promises." Spencer shot back, using the words that Logan liked to use so often. The gruff mutant let out a low chuckle.

"Don't be difficult, darlin'. Sleep well…"

Spencer's response was a big yawn, and his eyes drifting closed. Logan lay silently, watching over his mate. And only when Spencer's breathing had evened out and Logan was sure he was fast asleep, did he close his own eyes and allow himself to follow Spencer on to Neverland.


	16. Chapter 16

The morning dawned cool and crisp, with mist on the air and frost on the grass. The sky was overcast, but the sun was expected to make an appearance by lunch. In a corner bedroom on the third floor, two bodies lay entwined, backs to the window that the light was peeping in through. Neither was happy when they were woken by a knocking on the door. One, in fact, let out a low, animalistic growl before tugging his bed mate closer, and jerking the blankets up over their heads. But the knocking persisted. After a bit, the Wolverine flung the blankets back and sat up with a furious roar, stalking over the door and FLINGING it open.

"WHAT?!" He bellowed, and Rogue stood there, eyes wide as she stared at his… unmentionables. Which were on very clear display.

"That's nice…" she drawled, then looked the man in the eye. "You and Spencer have a Danger Room Session in an hour."

"… WHAT?" Spencer blurted, taking his turn to sit straight up in bed.

"Cyclops said ta git up, git breakfast and git down to the Danger Room. Only THEN can ya see Remy."

"Like hell." Logan snarled, and moved to slam the door in the Southern Belle's face. But she caught it with a hand and looked at Spencer, saying "yer friend is lookin' forward ta seein' the Danger Room, Sugah. Don't disappoint him." And she winked and sashayed away. Slowly, Logan turned to face Spencer, who groaned and began to get up.

"Seriously?" Logan asked, disgusted.

"I'll never hear the end of it if I don't." Spencer sighed in resignation.

"Oh, I can make sure ya never hear a thing at all…"

SNKT!

"Put those away, Logan. In fact… please put EVERYTHING away…" Spencer drawled, eyes staring pointedly between the man's legs. Logan snorted and headed for the closet, while Spencer went to the dresser.

An hour later, and the pair were striding down the halls of the sublevel in their uniforms. When they entered the Danger Room, they found Cyclops, Storm, Havok, Phoenix and Morgan. Scott and Morgan were standing side by side, staring up, and Scott was pointing around and sounded like he was explaining things to Morgan. The conversation stopped when Spencer and Logan's arrival was announced by Havok's "Hey guys."

Morgan turned, and his eyes widened.

"Oh my God… Reid… What are you wearing?!" He laughed, grinning.

"What does it look like?" Spencer snorted. "You're the one who doesn't fit in." And he looked pointedly at the others. Aside from Morgan, everyone was in their black armored uniforms, the colored piping at the seams being the only thing that differentiated their looks. Logan's was bright yellow, Cyclops' was red, Phoenix's was a fiery orange, matching her hair, Storm's was silver, Havok's was gold and Spencer's was white.

"Damn, Reid… wait…" Morgan's smile faded. "Are you… an X-Man?"

"No." Spencer said, shaking his head.

"Not for our lack of trying." Storm admitted with a smile.

"What's the game, Cyke?" Logan demanded to know, looking quite surly.

"A four on four battle." Cyclops said.

"We're a bit short for that…" Spencer pointed out.

"Morgan is going up on the observation deck with Phoenix and Storm." Cyclops explained. "Havok and I will face you two, and we each get two students on our teams."

"Oh great…" Logan groaned. "Which kids?"

"Pick." Cyclops said as the door opened and four boys came in. Spencer smiled and waved. Michael, Noah, Adam and Seth stood there, grinning.

"Wow. Never seen you guys in uniform before!"

"They just earned them a few months ago." Logan nodded, now smiling slightly.

"Code names?" Spencer asked.

"BioHazard." Said Adam, running his hand through his knee length orange hair. Spencer nodded, noting that Adam not only had matching orange piping on his uniform, but he actually had the BioHazard symbol stamped on each shoulder. As the others watched, he clicked off his inhibitor collar and bracelets, and his eyes began to glow and the air began to pulse around him.

Cyclops turned to Morgan and said, "he can generate and control nuclear radiation and energy."

"… He's a walking nuke?!"

"In a nutshell. But he can control it now." Cyclops nodded.

"Most of the time." Adam shrugged, grinning at the alarmed look on Morgan's face.

"I'm Tsunami." Said the Hawaiian with the bright blue piping on his uniform, and Spencer grinned, asking "still practicing in the pool when other people are in it?"

"Only when Cyclops isn't home." Seth snickered and Cyclops gave him a look, and then said to Morgan, "Hydrokinesis. He controls water."

Noah, wearing olive green piping on his uniform, waved at Morgan and announced "I'm Gravity. Because I can control gravity. Creativity is NOT my mutant power." Morgan grinned and chuckled, saying "Good to meet you, brother. If you don't mind my asking, are you biracial?" Noah grinned.

"Tri. My mom is Scandinavian. My dad was half black, half Amerindian. Seminole. You?"

"Dad was black, mom is white." Morgan shrugged.

"Cool." Noah nodded.

The last boy, Michael, raised his hand. "I'm TigersEye." His piping was a deep amber, matching his sharp, golden eyes. "Cuz Hawkeye was already taken."

"Yeah, well, accordin' ta Gambit, he's a douche." Logan snorted, and everyone laughed.

"Alright, let's get started." Cyclops called. "TigersEye with us." Michael grinned and strode over to Cyclops and Havok.

"… We'll take BioHazard." Logan smirked. "And Tsunami. We all know what happens when TigersEye and Gravity have to fight each other…"

"The same thing that happens when you and Gambit are on opposite sides?" Havok snickered. Spencer blinked, and Havok felt the need to elaborate. "They get love and war confused, kid." Spencer's eyes widened and he blushed, while the others laughed, though Michael and Noah were grinning sheepishly… Logan just looked obscenely smug. They both felt a sudden wave of amusement.

"Remy's awake?" Spencer asked.

"He wanted to watch, so Beast set up a monitor for him." Storm smiled, and pointed at the camera.

"Hi Remy!" Spencer called, waving at the camera

'Bonjour, cher.' Came the happy greeting over their telepathic link. '_Watch y'slf. Dose boys, dey be damn good. Future X-Men,_ oiu? _Dey come a LONG way_…'

'_Thanks for the warning_.' Spencer groaned, now eyeing TigersEye and Gravity as they moved to one side of the Danger Room with Cyclops and Havok, while Spencer followed Wolverine, Tsunami and BioHazard to the other side. Phoenix, Storm and Morgan had retreated to the observation deck.

A moment later, and Storm's voice came in over the speakers. "Scenario?" She asked.

"I leave it in your capable hands, Storm." Cyclops smiled.

"Dude, chill!" Havok laughed, shoving TigersEye, who was already crouched in a ready stance and bouncing on the balls of his feet, eyes flashing as a delighted grin split his face.

"He's feeling his ego again." BioHazard sighed, rolling his eyes, and Tsunami threw out his arms and took an aggressive step forwards, bellowing "Bring it, brah!"

"You're goin' DOWN, Hawaii!" Gravity called back.

"Enough, boys!" Cyclops groaned, shaking his head.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Havok thundered.

"You're as bad as the kids!" Cyclops howled. But they didn't get to see Havok's response… the Danger Room shifted, and the game had begun. The air was thick with intense humidity, and the sunlight overhead was dappled and broken by the canopy that towered over them. Birds, insects, monkeys and all sorts of creatures could be heard.

"… Amazon." Spencer identified immediately. Tsunami lifted his hands and slowly waved them around, drawing the moisture from the air until glittering strings of water surrounded him, and then moved to sink into every seam, line and crevice of his uniform, making him sparkle under the light. BioHazard had risen off of the ground by about three feet, his hands raised and ready as his pulsing eyes swept over the jungle. Spencer raised his own hands, light glinting off of his fingernails.

"Plan?" BioHazard asked, and all three younger men turned to the Wolverine, deferring to the veteran.

"Helios and Tsunami… see if you can find water. A pond, a river, anything for Tsunami to harness. BioHazard, with me." And they nodded and split up. After they had been moving for a few minutes, Spencer frowned as he suddenly started to feel heavy. Around him, the leaves were drooping more and more, and the birds seemed to have trouble staying aloft. He looked around wildly.

"He's close…"

"Nah." Tsunami snorted. "He's covering a large area. Trying to tire us out early. But watch for him. He gets ya in his sights and he'll plaster you to the floor like you're made of lead."

"Suggestions?"

"Best way to take down Noah—sorry, Gravity-, is to take him by surprise."

"And TigersEye?"

"… Take him out as fast as you can before he gets too close. The turd is fast as hell."

"Alright…" Spencer nodded, frowning.

"Wolverine can take him. It will take a while, but as long as he holds out long enough to get his hands on TigersEye, he'll take him. Biggest thing with him is that he moves like Wolverine. You never see or hear him coming until it's too late."

"Awww… love you too!"

Tsunami and Helios both whirled, just in time to see TigersEye drop out of the trees between them.

"SHIT!" Tsunami yelped and then went flying, courtesy of lightning fast kick to the chest. TigersEye whirled, grinning, and dropped to the ground, sweeping his leg around. Helios yelped as his legs were suddenly no longer beneath him and he found himself lying flat on his back, staring at the canopy.

"And Helios is DOWN!" Crowed TigersEye as he flew towards Spencer, fist raised to strike then "killing" blow.

"NO!" Spencer snapped, throwing his hand up before him, and there was a bright flash as an umbrella-like shield of light appeared, rapidly expanding.

"Huh?! OOF!" TigersEye grunted as he landed on it, and then his eyes widened as the shield literally hurled him back into the jungle. "AAAAAAH!" He pulled off a three point landing, skidding back through the soft ground and then bolted forwards, heading straight for Reid, eyes burning in determination and delight at the new challenge.

Eyes widening, Spencer's iridescent wings flashed into existence as did shafts of light in his fingers, which he began to hurl at TigersEye as he got airborne. TigersEye dodged each projectile with ease and began to ascend after Helios, utilizing dizzying acrobatics in the trees. Spencer burst out through the canopy and into the blinding sun. When TigersEye came after him with a mighty leap, he grinned and held out his hands. TigersEye snarled when he hit a light shield again, but then yelped when he found himself trapped within a bubble.

"H-Hey! No fair!" He cried, trying to beat his way through the orb of light. Spencer just smirked.

"It's a perfectly legal move. Anything goes in here." He said, and TigerEye just shot him a furious glare. A moment later, and a spiraling column of water burst out of the trees, and carried Tsunami over.

"HAH! He got you good, brah!" Tsunami laughed, and TigersEye glared.

"… Shut up!"

"Found water, I see?" Spencer asked, and Tsunami grinned.

"Yeah. We were almost there. He almost kicked me INTO the river, actually."

"Now that I have him, what do I do?" Spencer asked.

"… Incapacitate without killing?" Tsunami shrugged.

"He looks incapacitated to me."

"Or we get him to admit defeat."

"NEVER!" TigersEye bellowed, his grin just daring them to MAKE him surrender.

"Oh, you in for it now…" Tsunami glared. "Open the top a bit. Just that much." And he made a ring with his thumb and forefinger. Spencer nodded and did as he commanded. Tsunami raised his hand and a tube of water snaked out, curled around the light orb and began to pour in through the hole on top.

"AAACKPTH!" TigersEye sputtered as he was doused from above. "H-Hey… HEY!" He yelped, eyes widening as the ball began to fill with water.

"Surrender?" Tsunami asked as the water covered TigersEye's ankles.

"FUCK YOU!"

"Language!" Spencer taunted, grinning.

TigersEye didn't respond; a massive explosion occurred about a mile away, a fiery orange mushroom cloud blossoming up over the trees. All three turned to stare at it. A moment later, and a red beam shot through the air.

"Now we know Cyke's locale." Tsunami observed.

"And now you know MINE!" Came the shout, just as a blast of cosmic energy ripped through the column of water holding up Tsunami.

"AAAH!" The boy yelped, plummeting down into the trees. Spencer's eyes widened and he carried himself, and the orb holding TigersEye, higher.

"HAVOK!" TigersEye howled. "A little help?!"

"Surrender!" Spencer commanded, wanting to at least take out ONE of the other team.

"No way, Helios! You don't stand a CHANCE against Havok!" TigerEye laughed, sitting there in water waist deep.

"… Can you breathe under water?" Spencer asked.

"Tsunami's not here!" TigersEye pointed out.

"He doesn't HAVE to be!" Spencer smirked, and the orb began to shrink, the air being forced out to accommodate the water.

"H-Hey!" TigerEye yelped, eyes widening as the water quickly began to rise, and he was soon being forced to bend under the contracting walls. The water was to his chest. Then his neck. He was beginning to panic.

"Surrender!" Spencer commanded again. TigersEye didn't respond. He was now holding his face up towards the hole, took one deep gulp of air, and then the hole was gone… and the orb was filled completely with water. A cosmic blast erupted from the trees, but Spencer dodged. TigersEye was thrashing in the orb, hitting and kicking the sides struggling, eyes getting wider. And then he slowed down and drifted for a moment, before slumping and holding up his hands.

"TigersEye surrendered!" Spencer called out.

"Acknowledged." Storm's voice was heard, and Spencer opened several holes to allow the water to drain. Below, he heard a "Hey!" as apparently, Havok suddenly got rained on. TigersEye was gasping for air on all fours in the orb, as Storm's voice announced to all players, "TigersEye is Defeated."

"WOOO!" Spencer heard Tsunami cheer from the ground somewhere, followed by "SHIT!" and another cosmic blast.

Spencer snickered and descended into the trees, taking TigersEye with him. The orb disappeared when they both touched ground, and TigersEye just pouted and glared as he stood there, dripping. But Spencer shot him a grin, and turned to run off into the trees. A moment later, and there was another announcement from Storm, "BioHazard is defeated."

Spencer frowned. It was now himself, Wolverine and Tsunami against Gravity, Cyclops and Havok. Spencer froze when he heard a strange roar… And then Havok burst through the underbrush, panic on his face as he ran in a panic, chanting "Shit shit shit SHIT SHIT SHIT!" And he ran right past Spencer. Spencer blinked and turned, and his eyes widened at the massive tidal wave hurtling through the jungle towards him.

"… Oh no…" He turned and ran after Havok, his wings appearing and lifting him up, but not fast enough… The wave was upon him and then—a hole opened up to allow the water to bypass Spencer untouched, and continued.

"C'mon, brah!" Came Tusnami's cheer as he happily surfed atop the wave. Spencer grinned and darted up to fly beside him.

"You've gotten a LOT stronger!" He called over the roar of the water, and the teenager beamed up at him, then laughed when he spotted TigersEye running along with Havok, howling "I'm out of the game, so why do I still have to run?!"

"Feel free to stop, kid!" Havok called back.

"Oh, you can fuckin—SHIT!" TigersEye dodged as a red blast ripped through the forest, and then Wolverine exploded out of the brush, saw them, saw the wave and skidded a stop.

"Aw, hell…" He groaned, then turned around and ran back the way he had come. And a moment later, Cyclops appeared, skidded to a stop, stared with his mouth hanging open, then turned tail and ran as well. Spencer was laughing himself silly as he watched Wolverine, Cyclops, Havok and TigersEye running like hell through the jungle; in the back of his mind, he could feel Remy laughing, too. He laughed even harder when they burst into a clearing and Gravity was running towards them. He didn't see the wave… all he saw were the men running, TigersEye and Havok both screaming "AAAAAAAAHHH!" At the top of their lungs.

Startled, Gravity skidded to a stop, eyes wide with alarm, and then he yelled "AAAAAAAHHH!" And turned and ran with them. "What is it?!"

"TSUNAMI!" TigersEye howled.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Gravity yelped, and ran faster, then leapt into the air and flew up, turning around and facing the wave, raising his hands and—

"SHIT!" Tsunami yelped, before he and Spencer both found themselves plunging downwards. The wave itself collapsed dramatically and the water spread, catching up the others in its grips. Then Gravity was just floating there, grinning down as Spencer and Tsunami sputtered to the surface, followed by the others. They all glared up at Gravity, who just shrugged.

"Kid… I'm gonna gut ya…" Wolverine snarled, clinging to a tree.

"Need to learn to swim, old man!" Gravity laughed.

"… That's it!" Wolverine roared, and began to climb the tree. Gravity's eyes widened and he held out his hands, bringing the crushing gravity down on Wolverine. But the man snarled, buried his claws into the tree and started to drag himself higher, despite the increasing gravity. The water began to swirl then.

"STOP HIM!" Cyclops shouted, and he and Havok turned on Tsunami.

"GO!" Spencer cried, taking flight once more and raising a shield of light, blocking the attacks of the brothers. Tsunami waved his arms around himself, bringing a twisted column of water up into the air like a massive waterspout, and sent it towards Gravity, who was focused on trying to stop an enraged Wolverine, and destroying a tree in the process… branches were snapping as they got heavier and heavier… Wolverine was climbing as best he could but he was so heavy now, that even as he climbed, he was sliding back down, his claws slicing through the thick wood of the tree trunk.

"GRAVITY, WATCH YOUR BACK!" Cyclops howled, and Gravity turned… just in time to get slammed by the water and sent crashing to the ground under its force. And it didn't stop. Tsunami kept funneling the water up, over and downwards, continuing the heavy flow pinning his friend. Gravity was thrashing under the water, trying to get up, to get away, to BREATHE!

Havok, in that moment, darted towards the shield that Spencer had between him and Tsunami, and dove into the water. Spencer gasped and moved to extend it, but he wasn't fast enough, and Cyclops started to open fire again. As he did, Spencer was distracted. Havok erupted from the water and tackled Tsunami into the water, and the stream pinning Gravity was broken. He got to his feet, sputtering and coughing, only to be tackled by the Wolverine.

Overhead, TigersEye and BioHazard sat on a tree branch and watched the brawl as Helios and Cyclops battled it out, Wolverine and Gravity wrestled, and Havok and Tsunami splashed about. A moment later, and with a roar of disapproval, Gravity and Wolverine rose into the air, higher and higher and higher, still grappling. Cyclops whirled, and shot an optic blast up, hitting Wolverine in the back. The feral roared, and Gravity managed to get out of his grasp. And just like that, Wolverine was hurtling towards the ground, faster and faster and then—

THWAM!

Everyone stopped as the ground literally shook at the force of impact… the water began to flow into the crater that Wolverine's body had made…

"… Wolverine's vitals show he is unconscious. Wolverine is defeated!" Storm's voice called.

BioHazard and TigersEye both began to cheer and applaud Gravity, grinning and shouting out to him, expressing how impressed they were… none of them had taken down Wolverine before! Gravity was looking stunned, to say the least.

"It's not over, get your head in the game!" Cyclops howled, dodging several projectiles that Spencer had sent his way, and the water was churning again, and Havok was sent flying. He slammed into a tree and fell to the ground, but soon stumbled to his feet and grinned. Helios and Tsunami both had been brought to their knees by Gravity, and were now huddled together under a dome of light, water swirling around it. But the dome was slowly sinking into the ground as the two young men began to sink into the saturated ground, thanks to the increasing gravity…

Spencer was already struggling, looking alarmed as he was unable to free himself from the mud that he was knee deep in, and water that he was now up to his waist in. He looked back at Tsunami, worried. Tsunami was now trying to drain the water out and away from them, even as Spencer reformed his wings and began to try and use them to get out of the mud. But to no avail… he kept sinking.

"Stop Gravity!" Tsunami cried, sending his water at his friend hovering over them. Spencer also started throwing shafts of light at him, but Cyclops kept shooting them out of the sky, while Havok was blasting his shield, trying to bring it down to get at the two men inside. Spencer was straining, and Tsunami groaned "We're fucked…"

"Fight to the last man." Cyclops smirked, blasting Spencer's shields, too.

"… RRRAAAAAGH!" Tsunami roared, and summoned a swirling waterspout around them, cutting them off so that the others couldn't see them.

"I have an idea!" Spencer called, suddenly.

Several minutes later, and the column of water just… dissipated…

"… What the…?" Havok frowned. Tsunami and Helios were gone. "Shit! Gravity! Did you bury them?!"

"… I dunno!" Gravity called back, as Cyclops approached the spot, staring down at the muddy water. But then, suddenly, "AAH!" He disappeared in a splash. A moment later, and he surfaced. "There's a hole! It's nothing but water!"

"How?!" Havok demanded. His answer was the water beginning to swirl around again.

"Where are they?! GRAVITY?!"

"I don't see them!" Gravity called, looking around frantically. Suddenly, the something burst out of the water behind Havok.

"AAAH!" He yelped, whirling and blasting his cosmic energy and… sending a roaring Wolverine flying back into the jungle. "… Oh. Oops?"

"Check who it is before you shoot!" Cyclops howled, "SHOOT!"

Havok did as he was told, blasting the rush of water that Tsunami was riding towards him, making the young man yelp and tumble through the air, landing in the knee deep water before Havok with a big splash. Havok immediately pounced, at the same time that several shafts of light appeared over Gravity and wove themselves together into a net and with a yelp, Gravity was ensnared and pinned tightly to a tree. He struggled, cursing, and then shouted "THERE!"

Cyclops whirled and fired… and Helios caught the blast square in the chest, went flying back and crashed into a bush. When he tried to get up, the gravity was weighting him down, almost crushing him. And then Cyclops was standing over him with a smirk, fingers to his visor, which was glowing.

"Surrender?" He asked. Spencer closed his eyes and groaned. He couldn't move, thanks to Gravity.

"Surrender." He reluctantly admitted.

"Alright!" Havok cheered, frog-marching a restrained Tsunami over to them.

"Game over." Storm called, a smile in her tone, and the jungle faded around them… and left them all standing in the empty danger room. All the water and mud was gone. The only evidence of the battle was that which came from direct contact from each other… scorches, scratches, bruises…

"Good job, guys." Cyclops was saying with a smile and nod. "Not bad for being out of practice, Helios."

"Was I ever IN practice?" Spencer drawled, accepting Cyclops' hand to his feet. A moment later, and Wolverine stalked over, growling and glaring at Havok.

"What the hell was that?!" He snapped.

"… Sorry?" Havok shrugged, looking amused. Wolverine snarled.

"That was funny as hell." TigersEye snickered.

"This from the first one out of the game." Wolverine shot back, and TigersEye gave him a look. "How'd they gitcha, kid?" TigersEye scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring off to the side.

"I caught him in ball of light." Spencer grinned. "Tsunami filled it with water. He surrendered when he ran out of air and Havok hadn't saved him yet."

"… Nice." Wolverine admitted, looking appropriately impressed.

"That's good teamwork, guys." Cyclops nodded as Storm, Phoenix and Morgan rejoined them.

"That was amazing!" Morgan blurted, looking delighted by the show. Spencer smiled at him, and Morgan grinned. "You were pretty damn good, kid."

"Thanks."

There was an awkward silence, and then Phoenix said, "Well… enough stalling. Spencer, Logan… Go shower. Then… Remy's ready for your official interview."

Spencer's good mood quickly drained away…


	17. Chapter 17

Spencer and Logan showered and dressed quickly. There was no hanky panky in the showers… not now. When they emerged, Morgan, Cyclops and the Professor were all waiting for them.

"How does this work?" Cyclops asked, frowning. "I don't like the idea of the FBI interrogating Gambit…"

Logan growled. "First off… it's SPENCER. And they're not interrogating him!"

"We're going to do this as carefully, and respectfully as we can." Morgan told Cyclops, hands up in an 'I mean no harm' way. "Whether he's a mutant, an X-Man, or whatever… first and foremost, right now… he's a victim."

"He ain't gonna like that." Logan snorted.

"Guys?" Spencer said, gently. "We know what we're doing. I know you trust me. But know that I trust Morgan. In fact… I want him to take point."

"What?!" Cyclops blurted.

"I'm too close to this." Spencer admitted, wrapping his arms around himself. "I can't stay objective. Morgan will conduct this interview. I will act as his back up and witness… but more than anything, my purpose is to support Remy. Please. Trust us."

"… Very well." Xavier said with a nod. "We will wait outside."

"WHAT?" Cyclops blurted.

"Please…" Spencer pleaded, laying his hand on the arm of the leader of the X-Men. "You don't know what happened to him. I do. I've read his medical report. And some things happened that… I don't think he'll be able to talk about it you're there… It needs to just be me and Morgan. And Logan, if Remy is okay with it." Cyclops did NOT look happy.

"… I'll stand guard at the door if I hafta." Logan snorted, and Cyclops finally slumped in defeat.

"Fine. But if ANYTHING happens to Gambit…"

"It won't." Morgan assured him, and then followed Spencer and Logan into the Infirmary. They were met by Beast and Phoenix. The blue furry doctor smiled.

"He's ready." He told them. "I've left the tape recorder on the bedside table as requested, Spencer."

"Thank you…" Reid nodded, and stepped inside the room.

"… _Bonjour_." Remy greeted smiling slightly. Logan and Spencer headed straight to the bed, and Morgan closed the door behind them.

"… Why are you wearing an inhibitor collar?!" Spencer demanded, sounding angry.

"He tried to blow the needles!" Hank called from outside the door.

"Remy!" Spencer scolded.

"Don' wan' 'em, me!" Remy snapped, hotly. Logan was just chuckling.

"An' ya can't git it off with yer hands all wrapped up like that, can ya?"

"… Shut up, Wolvie! Spencer, get dis t'ing offa Remy!"

"No." Spencer replied, firmly.

"What if Remy promise not t—"

"I don't believe that for a moment. The moment you're alone, you'll blow them. Now hush. You can move your jaw now?"

"A bit." Remy confirmed, scowling. "Still eatin' not'in' but mush."

"They starved you." Spencer snorted. "You would be eating nothing but mush anyway."

"Shut up, you." Remy snorted, but he was smirking. And then he turned. "So… dis be _t'ami_, _non?_"

"… Remy… this is Derek Morgan."

"Pleasure to meet you, man." Morgan said with a nod, not offering a hand… not only was Remy still bandaged, but Spencer had told him that Remy's shields were still low, and he may not be able to tolerate touch yet… whatever that meant. Morgan hadn't asked, but respected what Spencer had told him. "Wish this could have been under other circumstances."

"Jus' gotta play de cards dat de fates give us." Remy shrugged slightly, wincing.

"Don't aggravate your shoulder." Spencer scolded.

The awkward silence followed.

"… Bes' get dis over wit'…" Remy finally sighed, relaxing back into his pillows again. Spencer looked pained. "S'alrigh', _cher_." Spencer swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly sat in the chair by Remy's bed, and Logan sat beside him. Morgan perched on a stool at the foot of the bed, and after a moment, Spencer reached out and pressed 'RECORD'. He waited a moment, then nodded to Morgan.

Morgan began, listing off the date and time, and citing the location as classified and off the record. Then he gave his name and title. Spencer spoke up then, identifying himself by his name and title, and then Derek announced the name of the victim to be a "John Doe", who had refused to identify himself by name, and was insisting upon his anonymity. And then Morgan said, "walk us through what happened when you were abducted, please…"

Remy nodded and began to speak, and as he did, the world fell away as Spencer fell into his telepathic link to Remy, and beside him, he felt Logan's hand on his own tighten, and he realized that Logan was coming with him… And a stern mental growl prevented him from stopping Logan… And then, they were seeing through Remy's eyes…

"I'm headin' out. Get some breakfast. Ya comin, Cajun?"

"Rrgh…" He grunted into his pillow, and tugged the blankets up over his head. "Call room service…"

"… need ta get some air."

"Den go! Let Remy sleep…"

"Tch… lazy ass…" The grumbles continued as the feral left the room, but the words were lost. And then the door to their hotel room opened and closed. Content, Remy sighed and drifted back into sleep…

He didn't know how much longer he slept, but he was awoken by a surge of emotions. Adrenaline, excitement, anxiety… a dark, fanatical delight and focus. Remy barely had time to mentally grumble at the assholes you could find (and in his case, feel) in fancy hotels… Suddenly, the windows exploded inwards. Remy was awake in an instant, and his adrenaline was pumping as he rolled off of the bed, catching the sight of two men out of the corner of his eye, unstrapping cords from their repelling harnesses. He grabbed the closest object to him, a pillow, charged it, and flung it. Of course, an exploding bag of fluff didn't do much but make the man it hit stumble back, and now the room was filled with fluff, floating around them.

The other man had his gun raised, and Remy's eyes flashed. He leapt towards the door, dodging the shots and grabbing his staff even as he kicked the door open… only to find three more men on the other side, having crashed through the living area windows. And they had opened fire the moment he had started to open the door.

Remy stumbled back with a gasp as he felt sharp stings across his chest. He lowered his eyes, stunned, and stared at the four little darts embedded in him; already, a tingling was spreading, followed by numbness. Snarling, he leapt forwards, pulling them from his flesh, charging them and throwing them right back. One man yelped as the explosion singed his arm, another ducked and two explosions hit the wall, and the last broke the mirror.

Remy yelped again as he felt two more darts land in his back and he whirled, swinging his staff out and bringing it sharply across his assailant's jaw. No one spoke. One man raised something and then—

"AAAAARRRGH!" Remy screamed, throwing his head back, arching forwards and collapsing to his knees as the taser sent the volts running through him. The men moved in as he fell to his hands and knees, catching himself with one hand on a chair. He felt a rough hand grip his long hair, only to release him once more, the men stumbling back in a panic as the chair under Remy's hand began to glow a violent shade of pink. And then the trigger of the taser was pulled again, and Remy let out another howl of pain. He gripped the wires and the charge ran up into the taser, and the taser and the chair blew…

Remy shook himself back into awareness and raised his head from the floor where he had landed, and winced at the splinters in his flesh from the exploding chair. The other men were stirring. Remy seized his staff and stumbled to his feet, raising it and charging the one who was already up. He leapt up and stabbed downwards, but God… the drugs were affecting him… he was too slow... The man dodged, and Remy's staff stabbed through the drywall, just as the man he had attacked straightened up. Remy had been bent over him, and the mutant yelped as the man grabbed his knee and shoved a hand into his stomach, and using his own momentum against him, flipped Remy up and over the bar and slammed his body into the cabinets of the kitchenette area. Remy fell painfully on his head. Grimacing and trying to quell the dizziness that wasn't just from the fall, he rose to his feet.

His attackers had regrouped. Remy reached behind himself and into the open cabinet, and began to fling charged plates at the men, who were soon dodging and running for dear life as the plates exploded into walls, the ceiling, the floor, the sofa… But there weren't many, and soon Remy was out of ammunition. And then, he saw them. His cards. Leaping over the bar and sending the charged coffee maker flying at the man by the front door (which was subsequently blasted off its frame and into the adjacent wall), Remy lunged for his cards. He seized them in his hand and—

CRACK!

"AAHN!"

The cards scattered and Remy crashed to the floor. The man stood over him, the broken leg of the chair Remy had blown raised over his head. Slowly, dazed and debilitated by the drugs, Remy lifted a shaky hand to the back of his head, wincing as he felt the hot stickiness and then—

WHACK!

"NNGH!" He lay there, a harsh grimace on his face as he fought back unconsciousness. Then that harsh hand was in his hair again and he was on his knees. The world tilted under him and he groaned as his stomach flipped. Then there was a pressure on his neck and then…

"_N-non… si'l vous plait_…" He gasped as he felt his power immediately disappear.

"… Well, aren't WE fancy?" One of the men laughed, and Remy yelped and doubled over at the vicious knee to his gut. He tried to open his eyes, but only felt even more sick as the world spun and he saw double.

"Jesus! Did you see his eyes?!" Another man gasped, and Remy gathered himself and lunged at the man, who yelped as he was tackled by the Cajun. "Get this filthy mutant off me!"

Remy was too disoriented to fight the hands that flung him onto his back on the carpet, and then he arched up off of the floor with a high scream as he was once again tased. And then everything went dark…

When he came to, he heard alarmed voices and shouts… it took him a moment to realize that he was being dragged by rough hands on his arms. He forced his eyes open and managed to focus enough to watch the cream colored marble floor of the hotel lobby passing by beneath him, and he could feel the cool floor on his bare feet. Dear God, he was being abducted in public in broad daylight and no one was sounding like they were even trying to stop it. They were all just screaming and running. Of course, he was being dragged away by five armed men, dressed head to toe in black uniforms that looked like they COULD be law enforcement… but Remy doubted that these guys were legit…

Then, they were out the front doors, and he could feel the concrete of the side walk scraping at the bare skin of his feet and ankles, and he was lifted off of the ground and thrown. He grunted as he landed heavily on a metal floor, there was a flurry of movement, the slamming of doors, and then the floor lurched as the vehicle drove away.

"What the hell took so long?!" He heard someone demand.

"The mutie put up one helluva fight." Answered the man who had called him 'fancy' when he heard Remy speaking French. "Started blowin' shit up right an' left!"

"You got the collar on him?!"

"Took a while, but yeah. Those tranq's didn't put him down!"

"How many?"

"I dunno… five, six?"

"Hm…"

As the men spoke, Remy was being manhandled to sit upright against a steel caging panel between the back cargo area of the van, and the front seat. Chains rattled, and his hands were bound to the caging over his head, while his legs were tightly wrapped in duct tape, just under and over his knees, and around his ankles. He growled slightly as his head was pushed up, and he finally laid eyes on his attackers and saw their faces. Three were white, one was Hispanic and the last looked Asian… southeast Asian, maybe?

"Damn…" One of the men breathed, staring at Remy's eyes. Remy glared, but only found himself blinded by another strip of duct tape, and then his mouth was covered, too…

A moment later, and he felt something cold touching the bare skin of his stomach.

"Try anything, mutie, and…"

"HNNNNNG!" He threw his head back and writhed as the burning electricity shot through him… the last thing he heard before he blacked out again, was the laughter…

The next time he woke, he wasn't in the car anymore… Wherever he was, it was cold, damp, and smelled of must and mildew… and human filth… the nauseating smell of bile and rancid vomit, ammonia, the sharp, coppery tang of blood all with a distinct fecal undertone. He was still gagged and blindfolded, but now he was upright. His shoulders and wrists were aching as they held his weight, suspended from the ceiling by cold, tight manacles. They were long enough for his feet to hit the ground, but not long enough for his knees, so his legs were splayed out below himself in awkward angles. Gritting his teeth, Remy fought to get his legs underneath himself, and finally stumbled to his feet.

His entire body ached, but he didn't let it stop him. He took a few deep breaths, and then pulled himself up. His feet left the floor and he groaned slightly as he felt the manacles cutting into his wrists, but then his fingers brushed over his face, and he began to work at the duct tape over his eyes. His breath came in sharp puffs. He had to remind himself to take each breath in and out as his body trembled with the strain of holding himself where he was; he felt blood trickling down his arms from where the manacles had cut unto his wrists without mercy. His arms were burning with the effort, the muscles screaming in protest, but he kept himself there, finally prying the duct tape off of his mouth, and more importantly, his eyes so he could see. As soon as he did, he let out a whoosh of breath and let himself drop. He landed with only a slight stumble, and his eyes swept the room.

It was dark, but his eyes were still able to pick up that he was in an average sized room, with a pair of double doors in front of him. There were pipes across the ceiling, and steel cross beams. He was hanging from one of these. There was an old rusted drain in the floor on either side of him, about four feet in either direction. The walls were moldy and peeling, and rotting away in some parts. Trash and debris was cluttering the perimeter of the room, and it looked like there was an old wheelchair in the corner… it was in poor condition, and it looked like it was from the late 1800's… There was some old faded graffiti on the walls here and there, and the rotted remains of an old desk against one wall…

The floor around him was covered in filth… not just the dirt and decay of the old room itself, but more recent filth… blood, vomit, urine, feces… it looked like the mess had been haphazardly hosed away and into the old drains, but the smell remained, as well as the blood stains…

Remy's heart was pounding in his chest, and he closed his eyes and swallowed thickly.

"_Merde_…" He croaked, finally reconciling with the truth… the killers that Spencer was hunting… they had him. And unless Spencer found him, he would die within the week… but only after being tortured… "Can't be worse dan Essex…" He hissed under his breath, trying to give himself courage. "Or Creed…" He took another deep breath, muttered "Alrigh'… up an' over!" And he dropped to hang from the manacles, frowned in focus, then brought his legs straight out in a pike position, before putting his washboard abs to work, slowly rolling himself up until his fingers brushed the hem of his pajama pants, which had slipped halfway down his calves in his inverted position. But he deftly found what he was looking for… a little wire secured in the seam.

With another whoosh of breath, he allowed his lower body to drop and he was on his feet again, and his nimble hands were working on the locks of the manacles. But then he heard voices… his captors were coming. His expression darkening, he focused. One fell loose.

"_Merci, Dieu…" _He breathed. That had taken too long. The drugs still were affecting him, making his fingers more clumsy that usual, and his brain was still a bit fogged over. He didn't bother with the second manacle… no time. He stuck the wire into the lock on the collar and—

"EEEEYAAAAAAAHHH!"

His scream brought his captors running. He heard the door bang open and a "shit! How'd he get loose?!"

Then there was a rough hand on his own, and the wire was taken from his trembling fingers. "Looks like he picked the locks."

There was a harsh hand in his hair, and he was staring into a pair of hazel eyes. "Triggered the collar's tamper-security, didja?" The man smirked. "Got yourself a nasty little shock? That's not all you've gotten yourself." And he looked at the wire that one of the other men was holding up for him to see. "Guess we're starting early, boys… this mutie thinks he's clever… time to teach him what that gets him…" He was then looking at Remy again and grinning. Remy grunted as his wrist was suddenly seized by one of the other men. The others surrounded him and he snarled at their hands all over him, holding him still.

Eyes wide, Remy stared at the man who was forcing his hand out of a fist, and grabbed his index finger. The man gave him a cruel grin, hissed "One," and—

SNAP!

Remy's scream echoed through the old dilapidated corridors…

Everyone stopped when Spencer suddenly leapt to his feet, stopped the recorder and reached out, fingers fumbling at the inhibitor collar around Remy's neck, tearing it away and hurling the thing into the wall before he collapsed into his chair and doubled over, hiding his face in his hands.

Morgan watched silently as Remy blinked at Spencer, absently reaching up and rubbing his neck, bringing Morgan's attention to the fading bruises and electrical burns that had made a band of color around the young man's throat. He sighed, understanding Reid's reaction to seeing his lover in that collar, after what had happened to him.

"Spencer?" Remy called. "Why don't y' go take a walk… Y' don't hafta be here for all dis, _cher_." Spencer shook his head. "Logan, take Spencer outta here. I can finish dis m'self wit' Agent Morgan. Spencer trusts de _homme_."

"You don't trust no one, Cajun."

"I trust Agent Morgan enough fo' dis, Wolvie."

"No." Spencer gasped, wiping his eyes and straightening, taking a deep breath. "I'm not going anywhere." And he reached out and gently took Remy's hand, feeling his fingers –God, his fingers—through the bandages. Remy gave him a gentle smile.

"Dey'll heal. All o' dem. Remy be fine, _mon soleil._"

"… Are you alright to keep going?" Morgan asked, and Remy nodded. Steeling himself, Spencer started the recorder again. "So… they broke your finger."

"_Non… _dey broke all o' dem. One by one. If I passed out, dey t'rew cold water on me to wake me up. Wanted me to feel each an' every one… Once dey was all broke, dey chained my hand again an' left…"

"What happened after that?"

"… Passed out afte' a while." Remy admitted.

"What's the next thing you remember?" Morgan asked.

Spencer took a deep breath, braced himself, and connected with Remy and Logan again…


	18. Chapter 18

Remy opened his eyes when he heard the voices coming near. Slowly, he raised his head and straightened, preparing to meet them with the courage and defiance and attitude that he was known for. He would NOT let these bastards have the satisfaction of seeing him cower… He kept reminding himself, whatever these assholes threw at him, he'd had worse…

The doors opened and the five men filed in. Their laughter and conversation faded away as they stared at him. They seemed surprised to see him on his feet, glaring at them fiercely.

"Hn… you're not like the others." The leader snorted, looking almost pleased. Remy gave him a smirk.

"Ain't not'in' like no one, me…" He responded, and the leader cocked his head, his amusement growing.

"Oh… 'Zat so?" the leader asked, and Remy just gave a cocky grin. "… What's your name, mutie?"

"Why ask?" Remy shot back. "Somet'ing tells me, y' don't give a damn 'bout my name, _mec._"

"… You're right. I don't."

"So… whatcha want from dis Cajun?"

The leader gave a dark grin and sauntered over, looking Remy straight in the eye.

"… I want you to beg me for your life, you filthy mutant."

Remy stared back for a moment, and then his grin widened, and he let out a low chuckle.

"You think something's funny?" The leader asked, his dangerous grin still on his face, but his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, _oui, monsieur…"_ Remy purred. "De idea dat dis Cajun beg…? Pfft! Don't beg, me. Leas', not fo' you. An' not when I ain't naked in bed wit' a gorgeous _femme_… or a certain handsome man… or two… But you, _mec_? _Non_… Ain't gonna beg y' fo' not'in…"

The man leaned in real close. "Oh, you will beg… They all do…"

"Dis Cajun ain't dem…" Remy smiled. The man only got a split second warning. Remy's expression hardened, his eyes flashed and then he lunged forward, head butting the man in the face. The man stumbled back with a howl, but Remy didn't stop there. Using the chains for leverage, ignoring the white hot pain that shot through his broken fingers, he leapt up into the air and snapped his legs around the man's neck, bringing him to the floor, and then began trying to get into the right position to get the man's head between his knees so he could break his neck with a quick twist of the hips…

But he didn't get the chance. A baseball bat whistled through the air and crashed into his ribs. Remy gasped, breathless at the pain that flared up as his ribs broke, strike after strike. The man was dragged away by his partners, and Remy doubled over at the cruel kick between his legs that stole his breath from his lungs, just as his stomach purged itself. Remy was in too much pain in between his legs to even register the hot vomit that now covered his front as he hung limp from his chains.

He barely heard the "Jesus… you alright Dale?"

"Get off me! Hose him down… and then… give him a drink." Remy didn't have the presence of mind to comprehend the danger there… He cried out as the freezing cold water was blasted over his body by a hose that had been dragged through the door. His entire body was soon soaking wet, and he gasped as his head was seized and tipped back.

"If you puke… you get this…" Was hissed into his ear, and then the hose was in his mouth and his nose was covered. "Drink up. You don't know when you'll get water again..." And then the water was flowing. Remy thrashed against the hands restraining him as he tried to get away from the hose that was flooding him with water… drowning him. His eyes closed and he screamed and coughed and gagged as the water rushed down his throat and into his stomach, and lungs. It was a cold, burning agony. He couldn't breathe. His struggles became desperate, a literal fight for his life. The pain in his chest was incredible, and his mind was growing foggy… his eyes were rolling back, his struggles were weakening…

The hose was gone and he just hung limp, the world going dark…

And then there was a harsh strike against his chest, and the water exploded out of his mouth and onto the floor. He heaved, bringing up another flood, and then took a weak gasp for air. His mind began to clear, allowing him to register the pain in his body and the laughter around him. But it didn't last long. As soon as his mind began to clear, he was once more sinking into darkness…

He faded in and out a few times… he had no concept of the passage of time. He could have been there minutes, or days… At one point, he woke choking on something being forced down his throat… never again would Remy LeBeau be able to stomach Spaghetti-O's.

The next time he was truly aware and not just fading out and in, he was brought into awareness by vicious kick to the genitals, and then being doused in a bucket of frigid water. Tears of pain ran down his face, hidden by the water, but he forced himself to stand on his own two feet and stared down his captors, gritting his teeth to keep them from chattering in the cold.

"You got balls, mutant…" Dale smirked. "I'll give ya that."

"Ain't afraid of y'…" Remy growled, his voice rough. "Ain't afraid t' die, neither. Do y' worst, _homme_. Y' ain't gon' break dis Cajun."

"There are so many things worse than death…" Dale announced, trying to scare Remy. He was visibly disappointed when the response was "_Oui… _No one knows dat bette' dan dis t'ief…"

But Remy's next words had his captors going still and silent. "Been t' hell an' back, _mes amis_. An' YOU? Y' got no idea what hell be like. I do. Hell ain't burnin' flames; it cold enough t' freeze y' to y' very soul. Hell be when de people you lived and worked wit', de people y' love an' trust, leave y' behind t' die in de snow an' ice, hundreds o' miles from any kind o' shelter. Hell be in de hands of a psychopat' scientist who uses y' like de guinea pig! Who like t' play aroun' in y' brain… in y' chest… pokin' proddin', stabbin', burnin', takin' tissue samples. All while y' be awake t' feel it… but can't scream none. Hell be when y' lose y' home, y' family, de love o' y' life, only minutes after y' marry her! Hell be when y' totally, completely, on y' own in dis world, wit' NO ONE dere b'side y, figurative or literal! Hell be when y' bein' forced t' be somet'in' dat y' ain't! Hell be when y' got mutant powers, an' y'a can't control dem… when dey get innocent folk killed cuz y' lost control! Hell be when dere's people dyin' aroun' ya… innocents… an' y' can't do not'in' to save dem… An' every time y' close y' eyes… y' see dem faces… always… fo'ever.

"So tell me, _homme_… y't'ink y' gon' give ol' Gambit a taste of hell?! Well… dis Cajun say bring it on…" He gave them a dark, twisted grin, his eyes glowing eerily. "_Laissez les bon temp rouler…"_

He watched as some of the men glanced at each other, nervously. In fact, Dale was the only one who hadn't looked nervous for a moment. He stared at Remy for a long time, then slowly approached. Soon, they were eye to eye once more.

"Think you're tough, eh, mutie?" Dale asked. And then… there was the cold, merciless sensation of the barrel of a gun pressed under his chin. Remy narrowed his eyes, but his grin never disappeared.

"T'ink dis Cajun's gon' scare dat easy? Sorry t' disappoint, _mon ami_… Ain't scared o' dat. B'sides… know y' ain't gon' kill me. Not yet. Y' ain't had y' fun_, oui?_"

"… Riiight…" Dale sneered, slowly circling the smaller man, trailing the tip of the gun over his chest, under his arm across his ribs, up his shoulder blade, pausing at his spine, in a silent threat of paralysis, then, down. Remy fought back the shiver as the gun trailed down his spine and paused once more at the hem of his pants, and then Dale jerked them down. Remy sucked in a breath and closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself before drawing out his usual bravado and flinging it around himself like a shield.

"Didn't know y' liked me like dat, _homme_. If'n y' wanted t' get dis Cajun naked, all y' had t'do was ask, _cher_." He purred, turning his head and throwing Dale a sensual wink over his shoulder. Dale looked startled and turned red, but then glared and snarled, wrapping an arm around Remy and pulling him back, against himself, pressing the gun into his back hard enough to bruise.

"You're disgusting."

"_Mais, _y' be de one holdin' dis Cajun so nice an' close, _oui?_" Remy chuckled, his tone smooth and sexual. And then, taking a risk, he ground his backside back into Dale's groin. As he expected, Dale was VERY quick to put some distance between them. The others were watching, looking horrified and fascinated. A moment later, and Dale's red face darkened and rage overtook him. He lunged and seize Remy by the arm, twisting harshly until Remy cried out in pain… Despite the pain, Remy had no idea he had been left with a spiral fracture.

"So… you're not just a mutie… but a fag, too?"

"Well… depends on y' definition." Remy replied, catching his breath through the pain of his arm. "Guess y' can call dis Cajun Trisexual. As in, I try anyt'ing leas' once. If I like it… I go back fo' more. De bits an' pieces don' matter. All 'bout how y' use dem, _non_? _Hommes, femmes_… don't matter to dis t'ief. If it feel good, it feel good."

"So you like to take it up the ass, hm?!"

"What I jus' say, _homme_?!" Remy snorted, fighting back the fear when he felt the cold metal of the gun barrel tracing taunting patterns over his buttocks…

"… Fine." Dale hissed.

Morgan waited for a moment for Remy to continue. He glanced over at Reid, who was curled up in his chair and hiding his face. Logan had his arm around Reid, and was grinding his teeth.

"What happened then?" Morgan finally asked.

"Whatcha t'ink, _homme_?" Remy growled, and when Morgan said nothing, he gave a disgusted sigh and spat "B'lieve dat de technical term be 'sodomy'_, mec_." Morgan was silent. But Remy could feel his emotions. Fury, sadness, guilt… and… that wasn't pity… it was… understanding?

Reid sensed it, and turned off the recorder just before Remy said "… what happened t' YOU?" Morgan looked startled. "Y' been abused b'fore…" Remy clarified. Morgan was looking alarmed and defensive, now. Remy cocked his head. "Was seventeen, me. De firs' time I was… forced. Mutant by de name o' Creed…"

"… Fourteen." Morgan finally admitted in a quiet tone. Remy nodded. Everyone was silent for a long time, an Reid finally murmured "let's get this finished."

"Right…" Remy sighed, gathering himself. "Well… de _connard_ didn't like it much when he asked if I liked it, an' I told 'im dat I'd had better…"

"You know… I don't think I like your mouth, mutie. So I guess the question is… do I cut out your tongue and make you eat it? Or do I just break your jaw?"

Remy didn't even blink when the bloodied end of the gun pressed against his chin again. He kept that grin on his face and his eyes glittered, though he did spare a little glare for the sighting ridge on the end of the barrel of the gun… that little fucker had been sharp, and had HURT, and likely sliced him up a bit on the inside, if the trickle between his legs was anything to judge by...

Dale studied him for a moment, and then nodded with a soft "Huh." And then his fist came flying. The blow sent pain exploding through Remy's head and fireworks burst across his vision.

"Ahhnng!" He cried, staggering as he tried to keep himself from collapsing, though most of his weight was now hanging from the cuffs again. Slowly, he got his feet underneath him again. "Nnnng." He blinked his eyes open. God, the agony in his jaw… fuck. Fuck fuck fuck! He couldn't move it! Dale had made good on his threat… he had broken Remy's jaw. God, it HURT! His eyes watered from the pain, and he kept his head down, hiding his tears behind his greasy hair.

"Not so smart now, eh?" Dale gloated, then turned and nodded. Remy braced himself as the others moved in, and then howled in pain as they began to beat his already sore body… He struggled to keep on his feet and focus, and as soon as he saw an opening, he took it. He lashed out with a vicious side kick, and sent one of his assailants crashing to the floor and retching as he clutched his stomach and tried not to throw up. Never putting his foot down, Remy brought it up and around in a graceful crescent kick to another man's temple, and then he leapt into the air, delivering a powerful flying roundhouse kick straight to the solar plexus of the third man, sending him flying. He landed with a graceful agility, glared at the last man who was already stumbling back, and sent his head snapping back with a jump front kick under the chin.

All four men were now on the ground, groaning, and Remy was glaring at Dale, who was looking furious.

"… Fine." The man growled, eyes blazing as he huffed like an old steam engine. He picked up a crowbar and Remy crouched in the best fighting stance he could be in, with his arms chained up over his head. He knew this was gonna hurt… without his arms, he was very limited on his abilities to block the blows that he knew were coming…

Dale lunged and Remy jerked a leg up to block his exposed belly and—

CRACK!

"AAAAAAAAHHHNNNGG!" He screamed, collapsing and dangling pathetically when the bones in his lower leg met the crowbar… and lost. The scream was followed by another when the crowbar fell again, fracturing his femur, and with a third blow, his knee was dislocated

"Let's see you pull that flashy kung fu shit now, mutie…" Dale hissed, tapping one of his buddies on the shoulder with the crowbar when he passed. "Let him have it…"

Whimpering, the man stumbled to his feet, raised the taser, and pulled the trigger… Remy writhed uncontrollably under the electrical onslaught, sending an intense agony through his destroyed leg, over and over again until once more, he fell into the bliss of unconsciousness.

Remy was silent for a while. Morgan cocked his head. "What's the next thing you remember?" He asked, carefully.

"… Not sure." Remy admitted after a moment, staring off into space. "After dat, everyt'ing started… blurrin' t'gether. Not sure what happened next, me. Jus' remember flashes. Pain… feelin' t'ings… break. M' nose. Ribs… remember m' shoulders poppin' out. Dat was after my ankles… couldn't stand no more, me. Jus' hang. An' not in de fun, around de mall way, neither. Burns… shocks… remember screamin'… but not once… NOT ONCE… did dis Cajun beg." And he fixed his blazing hot gaze on Morgan. "Woulda died first, me. Dey weren't gon' leave me my body intact, or m' life. Was gon' keep m' pride."

Spencer silently reached out and laid a hand on Remy's arm.

"… An' I did." He took a deep, settling breath. "Next t'ing I know. I'm here."

There was a moment of silence, and then Spencer turned off the recorder.

"How ya feelin, Cajun?" Logan asked.

"… could go fo' some mush." Remy drawled, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

"I'll let the furball know." Logan smirked.

"… Spencer?" Remy called. Reid was sitting, staring at the recorder in his hands.

"Reid?" Morgan asked.

"… We have to go back now." Spencer said softly. "We have his statement." Morgan sighed and nodded.

"I'll uh… go let the Professor know." He said, and left the room. Remy looked at Spencer. Logan was frowning, and opened his mouth, but—

'_Don't!'_ Spencer snapped at the feral in their minds. '_Don't tell him anything. He needs to heal. I don't want him to know the situation until I know what it is myself. Please, Logan…'_

_'… I don't like it. But alright.'_ Logan mentally sighed. Spencer now smiled at Remy, leaning over and gently kissing his forehead.

"We were only allowed to stay until you woke up and were able to give us your statement. Now we have to get back and wrap up the case. Make sure those bastards never see the light of day. You just get better, and I'll come visit as soon as I can."

"I'll hold ya to dat." Remy smiled, and the pair shared a gentle kiss.

"… I love you." Spencer told him.

"_Oui… je sais. Je taime aussi._"

"See you soon." Spencer told him, then slipped out of the room, Logan at his heels.

"… Hope ya didn't just lie ta him." The feral murmured as soon as they were out of ear shot.

"Don't tell him anything, Logan." Spencer said, glancing back. His stomach twisted when Remy smiled and waved, oblivious to the fact that Spencer might not be able to come back to visit… ever. Spencer knew perfectly well that the Bureau would not be happy. And if they had managed to dig up proof of Spencer's ties with the X-Men, well… he wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a very, very long time.

"Spencer." He turned. Xavier approached, Cyclops and Storm with him. "Are you sure about this?"

"If I don't go back, it will give them the justification they need to come after the X-Men with everything they have." Spencer said firmly. "This way, if anything happens… it will happen to me, and me only. But… I haven't done anything illegal. Not really. And I trust my team."

"We'll be by his side and have his back." Morgan announced, putting a hand on Reid's shoulder. "And now… hopefully, we can have yours, too." And he nodded to the Professor.

"Let's go." Spencer said, and they all headed to the Blackbird. "Logan… you need to stay here."

"What?!" Logan barked.

"If the Bureau arrests me, I can't have you getting protective and making things worse. Please. Stay here. With Remy." Spencer told him.

"Logan… he's right." The Professor said. Logan glared around at everyone, but then, his shoulders sagged in defeat. Spencer moved in and curled his arms around the shorter man, and Logan returned the embrace, holding his lover secure in his powerful grasp for the moment.

"If they try anything…" Logan rumbled, "ya can be damned sure I'll come after ya."

"I know…" Spencer whispered, and kissed him. "Take care of Remy."

"Ya know I will."

"Don't tell him!"

"I know." Logan nodded, reaching up and brushing his knuckles down Spencer's cheek.

"I love you." Spencer said, and Logan just gave him another nod. Slowly, reluctantly, Spencer stepped away and mounted the ramp of the Blackbird, Morgan by his side.

Then the door was closing, and the engines fired up. Spencer and Morgan sat side by side as Cyclops and Storm began to prepare for takeoff.

"Reid?" Morgan asked. "You're shaking…"

"… Am I?"

"You're scared." Morgan observed.

"I have this… horrible feeling…" Spencer breathed.

"Of what?"

"… That I'll never see them again…" Spencer whispered, and Morgan watched a solitary tear run down his friend's cheek. And as the Blackbird lifted off, Morgan reached out and took Reid's hand.

"You will." He told him. "No matter what I have to do… I'll make sure that you'll see them again. I promise."

Spencer swallowed thickly, and reached out over the telepathic link, while he was still close enough to do so.

'_You know that place between sleep and awake, where you still remember dreaming?'_

_'That's where I'll always love ya.'_

_'Dat's where I'll be waitin'…'_

And the Blackbird roared off into the sky.

Jean Grey and Emma Frost stood on either side of the Professor, all three of them watching Logan watch the jet take Spencer away.

'_I have a bad feeling about this,'_ Emma announced in their minds, knowing that any verbal word, no matter how quiet, would be heard by the feral.

'_So do I,' _Jean agreed.

_'Spencer has done what he must do,' _Xavier told them both. _'and I believe that there is great conflict and strife in his path. But I also must believe that in the end, it will be worth it.'_

_'Perhaps,'_ Emma nodded, before turning a piercing gaze on the Professor. _'But for whom? Must he make a sacrifice to make things better for us all? Will he be denied his happiness? Will Gambit and Wolverine? Who will it be worth it for, Charles?' _And she turned around and walked away. Jean watched her for a moment and then went to Logan, guiding him out of the hangar bay and back to Remy's bedside. Alone, Xavier sighed.

"… That remains to be seen…"

. . . E N D ?

Coming soon... Zenith


End file.
